orbital
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
-
of or denoting an orbit
-
(of a motorway or major road circuit) circling a large city
noun
-
a region surrounding an atomic nucleus in which the probability distribution of the electrons is given by a wave function
-
an orbital road
Other Word Forms
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:
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."
Vocabulary lists containing orbital
Chemistry - High School
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Chemistry - Middle School
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Katherine Johnson (1918–2020) Tribute List
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A California-based startup called Reflect Orbital says that reflecting sunshine on places during times of darkness could charge up solar panels, grow crops and replace urban lighting.
From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026
Orbital space colonies, such as the ones envisioned by Gerard O’Neill, the Princeton professor who wrote The High Frontier and inspired Jeff Bezos to get into the aerospace business, never have a catastrophic failure.
From Slate • Dec. 9, 2025
Orbital Axis: An imaginary line defining the orientation of a planet's orbit around its star.
From Science Daily • Dec. 4, 2025
Orbital data centers would allow companies to harness the power of the sun to operate them, advocates say.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025
Orbital flights—which sent the astronaut on one or more ninety-minute circuits around the globe, passing out of visual and radio contact with Mission Control, flying over unfriendly territory—upped the ante by a factor.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
