orbital

American  

[awr-bi-tl] / ˈɔr bɪ tl /

adjective

1. of or relating to an orbit.

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noun

1. Physics, Chemistry.

   1. a wave function describing the state of a single electron in an atom atomic orbital or in a molecule molecular orbital.

   2. the electron in that state.

orbital British  

/ ˈɔːbɪtəl /

adjective

1. of or denoting an orbit

2. (of a motorway or major road circuit) circling a large city

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noun

1. a region surrounding an atomic nucleus in which the probability distribution of the electrons is given by a wave function

2. an orbital road

Other Word Forms

• interorbital adjective
• interorbitally adverb
• orbitally adverb
• preorbital adjective
• superorbital adjective
• transorbital adjective
• unorbital adjective
• unorbitally adverb

Etymology

Origin of orbital

1535–45; < New Latin, Medieval Latin orbitālis; see orbit, -al ¹

Compare meaning

How does orbital compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• orbital vs. belt sander
• subshell vs. orbital

Explanation

Something that's orbital has something to do with an orbit. A satellite's orbital path is the exact route it takes as it travels around the Earth. When planets, moons, or spacecraft move around other objects in an orbit — a curved, regular path — you can describe this movement as orbital. An orbital period is the length of time it takes a craft or body to make a complete pass around the object it orbits. Another way to use this adjective is to mean "relating to an eye socket," which is actually its earliest meaning. The Latin root is orbita, "wheel track, beaten path, course, or orbit."

Example Sentences

Starlink, of course, has a large advantage; SpaceX, which accounts for more than half of all orbital launches.

From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026

“We expect to fully utilize New Glenn fairing capacity as we progress through our orbital launch plans,” AST SpaceMobile CEO Abel Avellan said during an earnings call last month.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

What’s Next: While AST SpaceMobile currently has six satellites in orbit, it is targeting approximately 45 orbital satellites by the end of 2026 to offer a commercial service in northern latitudes.

From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026

During the flight, New Glenn’s third ever, the vehicle’s huge booster returned safely to Earth, a feat only Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX have achieved with orbital rockets.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

But with only one operational success under its belt and with six Mercury missions to go—with the orbital flight still on the drawing board—NASA’s road to the Moon seemed unimaginably complex.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Related Words

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