Copernican
adjective
Co·per·ni·can
kə-ˈpər-ni-kən 
kō-
1
: of or relating to Copernicus or the belief that the earth rotates daily on its axis and the planets revolve in orbits around the sun
2
: of radical or major importance or degree
effected a Copernican revolution in philosophy—
The Times Literary Supplement (London)
The Times Literary Supplement (London)
Copernican
noun
Examples of Copernican in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
It's been a Copernican moment, akin to the demotion of the Earth from the center of the universe.
—Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 16 Nov. 2023
By the 1950s, the traditional Copernican orrery was in need of an electronic upgrade.
—IEEE Spectrum, 1 Oct. 2023
Raskin believes that the ability to eavesdrop on animals will spur nothing less than a paradigm shift as historically significant as the Copernican revolution.
—Camille Bromley, WIRED, 29 Aug. 2023
The implications of the Copernican principle may sound depressing to anyone who prefers a view of the world regarding humankind as the central or most important element of existence, but notice that every step along the way in extending the Copernican principle represented a major human discovery.
—Mario Livio, Scientific American, 19 Apr. 2023
Believe it or not, the Copernican principle doesn’t even end there.
—Mario Livio, Scientific American, 19 Apr. 2023
If parallaxes were easier to measure, the Copernican revolution might have happened sooner.
—Quanta Magazine, 17 Dec. 2020
Yellow, for instance, indicates rock from the moon’s (current) Copernican period, which began a billion years ago, Ryan F. Mandelbaum reports for Gizmodo.
—Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Apr. 2020
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Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 16 Nov. 2023
By the 1950s, the traditional Copernican orrery was in need of an electronic upgrade.
—IEEE Spectrum, 1 Oct. 2023
Raskin believes that the ability to eavesdrop on animals will spur nothing less than a paradigm shift as historically significant as the Copernican revolution.
—Camille Bromley, WIRED, 29 Aug. 2023
The implications of the Copernican principle may sound depressing to anyone who prefers a view of the world regarding humankind as the central or most important element of existence, but notice that every step along the way in extending the Copernican principle represented a major human discovery.
—Mario Livio, Scientific American, 19 Apr. 2023
Believe it or not, the Copernican principle doesn’t even end there.
—Mario Livio, Scientific American, 19 Apr. 2023
If parallaxes were easier to measure, the Copernican revolution might have happened sooner.
—Quanta Magazine, 17 Dec. 2020
Yellow, for instance, indicates rock from the moon’s (current) Copernican period, which began a billion years ago, Ryan F. Mandelbaum reports for Gizmodo.
—Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Apr. 2020
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Copernican.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Nicolaus Copernicus
First Known Use
1667, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near Copernican
Cite this Entry
“Copernican.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Copernican. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
Copernican
adjective
Co·per·ni·can
kō-ˈpər-ni-kən
kə-
: of or relating to Copernicus or his theory that the earth rotates daily on its axis and the planets revolve in orbits around the sun
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