telescopic

[ tel-uh-skop-ik ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or of the nature of a telescope.
2. capable of magnifying distant objects:

   a telescopic lens.

3. obtained by means of a telescope:

   a telescopic view of the moon.

4. seen by a telescope; visible only through a telescope.
5. capable of viewing objects from a distance; farseeing:

   a telescopic eye.

6. consisting of parts that slide one within another like the tubes of a jointed telescope and are thus capable of being extended or shortened.

telescopic

/ ˌtɛlɪˈskɒpɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to a telescope
2. seen through or obtained by means of a telescope
3. visible only with the aid of a telescope
4. able to see far
5. having or consisting of parts that telescope

   a telescopic umbrella

Derived Forms

• ˌteleˈscopically, adverb

Other Words From

• tele·scopi·cal·ly adverb
• nontel·e·scopic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of telescopic¹

First recorded in 1695–1705; telescope + -ic

Example Sentences

You won’t have to assemble any parts as it boasts a one-piece telescopic design.

From Popular-Science

That means its mirrors need to be protected from stray light from the sun, the Earth and other objects it is not observing—hence tucking them away inside the telescopic body—allowing them to focus on the ones that it is.

From Time

In addition, this wall-mounted model comes with an infrared heating head and telescopic pole stand that adjust to accommodate all kinds of spaces.

From Popular-Science

It’s often a challenge to pull signals out of the massive amounts of noise found in telescopic data.

From MIT Technology Review

He did not even have his own guns, though his family owned two, an AK-47 and a .308 rifle outfitted with a telescopic sight.

From The Daily Beast

They are not nude photos taken with a telescopic lens from inside a private villa.

From The Daily Beast

While hindsight is always telescopic, there were early warning signs that the currency of Facebook shares was primed for a fall.

From The Daily Beast

By telescopic condensation of the field, Cragley was capable of bringing Deliphon on the instrument.

From Project Gutenberg

Whether it had this telescopic use, or others, the degree of art evinced in its construction is far from rude.

From Project Gutenberg

They had made telescopic observations from within the atmosphere.

From Project Gutenberg

Your botanical friend took a microscopic view of nature, while you took a telescopic view of it.

From Project Gutenberg

When the atmosphere is telescopic, and distant objects stand out unusually clear and sharp, a storm is near.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• far
• far-flung
• far-off
• inaccessible
• isolated
• obscure
• remote
• removed
• secluded