planetary
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to a planet
-
mundane; terrestrial
-
wandering or erratic
-
astrology under the influence of one of the planets
-
(of a gear, esp an epicyclic gear) having an axis that rotates around that of another gear
-
(of an electron) having an orbit around the nucleus of an atom
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of planetary
From the Latin word planētārius, dating back to 1585–95. See planet, -ary
Explanation
The adjective planetary has to do with any astronomical body that revolves around a star — including the earth. Rather than a circle, planetary motion takes us in an elliptical shape around the sun. In science, planetary usually describes the attributes or motion of planets. It's also used for anything that behaves in a similar way, like planetary electrons, which revolve around their atomic nucleus as if they were tiny planets. You can also talk about things that affect our entire planet using this word: "She worries a lot about the planetary effects of climate change."
Vocabulary lists containing planetary
myPerspectives 7.2
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
-ary
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
Because of this enormous planetary inertia, scientists expect sea levels to keep rising for many centuries.
From Science Daily • May 22, 2026
Multiple planetary embryos emerge at roughly the same time and gradually evolve over millions of years into full planets.
From Science Daily • May 21, 2026
Lead author Michael Wong, a planetary scientist at UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory, said studying storms on other planets can help scientists better understand weather on Earth.
From Science Daily • May 21, 2026
Anil Madhavapeddy, professor of planetary computing at Cambridge University, told the BBC that more than 100 research groups have accessed the tool.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
On some, intelligent life may have evolved, reworking the planetary surface in some massive engineering enterprise.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
