gravitational
Americanadjective
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Physics. of or relating to the force of attraction between two masses.
The gravitational effect of the moon causes the rise and fall of ocean tides.
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of or relating to a strong movement or natural tendency toward something or someone.
Their gravitational attraction to self-destructive behavior has been the subject of much study.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of gravitational
First recorded in 1850–55; gravitation ( def. ) + -al 1 ( def. )
Vocabulary lists containing gravitational
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.
Its work in tracking spacecraft in the early space race, and its research into quasars, pulsars and gravitational lenses, is also part of its outstanding scientific heritage.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
The researchers used a method known as tidal tomography to study how these gravitational signatures change over time and to build a model of the planet's interior.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
Dark matter is thought to act as a kind of gravitational glue, while dark energy is believed to be a repulsive force driving the universe's expansion.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
Einstein's theory, meanwhile, treats gravity as a property of space and time itself -- it can bend, flatten, and support waves that travel through it, as gravitational wave detectors have confirmed.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
In 1965 I read about Penrose’s theorem that any body undergoing gravitational collapse must eventually form a singularity.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
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.
