planetary
Americanadjective
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of or relating to a planet
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mundane; terrestrial
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wandering or erratic
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astrology under the influence of one of the planets
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(of a gear, esp an epicyclic gear) having an axis that rotates around that of another gear
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(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
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-ary
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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.
Supporters argued the project had brought industries together behind a single planetary mission.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
"Beagle 2 started the UK down the line of being able to do planetary missions and knowing it could engineer them," said Professor Mark Sims, who managed the Beagle 2 mission.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
It has always been the case that any megapower that seeks multi-domain planetary power must have a presence in the Middle East be it Cold War superpowers, Europeans or the Ottomans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Changing the spacecraft's trajectory was the primary purpose of the flyby, but the encounter also gave the mission team a valuable chance to test Juice's science instruments using a real planetary target.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026
Longterm timing of the radio pulse rate of some pulsars, for instance, one called PSR 0329 + 54, suggests that these objects may have one or more small planetary companions.
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.
