celestial

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adjective ce·les·tial \ sə-ˈles-chəl , -ˈlesh- , -ˈles-tē-əl \

Definition of celestial

1 :of, relating to, or suggesting heaven or divinity

celestial beings

2 :of or relating to the sky or visible heavens

the sun, moon, and stars are celestial bodies

3 a :ethereal, otherworldly

celestial music

b :olympian, supreme

the celestial impudence of the boy
—Leonard Bacon

4 capitalized

[Celestial Empire, old name for China]

:of or relating to China or the Chinese

—

celestially

play \-chə-lē, -tē-ə-lē\ adverb

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Examples of celestial in a Sentence

stars, planets, asteroids, and other celestial bodies
The late afternoon sunlight gave the room a celestial glow.

Recent Examples of celestial from the Web

Even the star parties the astronomical association holds right here in the Seattle area, as close by as Green Lake and Covington, open eyes to celestial splendor, with free access to telescopes and binoculars.

— lynda v. mapes, The Seattle Times, "Nature’s gift to Washingtonians: some of the last, best stargazing in the world," 28 Aug. 2017
Thousands of people flocked to Carbondale in southern Illinois, which was in the path of totality, to get a good look at the celestial display.

— chicago tribune staff and wire reports, chicagotribune.com, "Week in review: Eclipse awes a nation, Trubisky gets his shot and Amazon plans Whole Foods price cuts," 25 Aug. 2017
Others were fairly consumed by a celestial intersection of science and nature that had fired their imaginations for decades.

— jeffrey lee puckett, The Courier-Journal, "In the path of totality, eclipse in Hopkinsville touches many 'deep down on a soul level'," 21 Aug. 2017
This exodus had a vibrant, happy soundtrack, as people shared impressions — the wonders of nature, the way this phenomenon briefly united strangers in a celestial community.

— peter rowe, sandiegouniontribune.com, "LIVE BLOG: The Eclipse in San Diego," 21 Aug. 2017
In honor of today's solar eclipse, the Twitterverse unleashed it's best celestial quips, proving anything can be turned into a joke on the internet, even mother nature.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "20 Hilarious Tweets About the Solar Eclipse," 21 Aug. 2017
Other new colors available this year on the Highlander are celestial silver metallic and toasted walnut pearl.

— g. chambers williams iii, star-telegram, "Toyota Highlander gets refreshed exterior, new V-6 engine, 8-speed automatic for 2017," 18 Aug. 2017
But as important as securing symbols of that first foray to a celestial body may be, the fight is a small illustration of the potential exploitation to come.

— justin bachman, Bloomberg.com, "The Battle for the Moon Begins," 20 July 2017
Her skin looked even more radiant than usual, thanks to a celestial coating of liquid glitter on her lids and cheekbones.

— sarah wu, Teen Vogue, "Kylie Jenner Does Glitter Makeup Shoot With Lisa Eldridge," 17 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'celestial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of celestial

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin caelestis celestial, from caelum sky

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First Known Use: 14th century

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celestial Synonyms

Synonyms

elysian, empyreal, empyrean, ethereal, heavenly, supernal

Antonyms

chthonic (also chthonian), hellish, infernal, plutonian, sulfurous, Tartarean

Related Words

supernatural, transcendent, transcendental, unearthly, unworldly; angelic (or angelical), beatific, blissful; Olympian, paradisiacal (or paradisiac), utopian; cosmic (also cosmical), galactic, stellar

Near Antonyms

earthly, mundane, terrestrial, worldly; anti-utopian, dystopian

Other Astronomy Terms

gibbous, nadir, nebulous, penumbra, retrograde, sidereal, syzygy, wane, wax, zenith

celestial

noun

Definition of celestial

1 :a heavenly or mythical being

2 capitalized :chinese 1a

First Known Use of celestial

1573

CELESTIAL Defined for Kids

celestial

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adjective ce·les·tial \ sə-ˈles-chəl \

Definition of celestial for Students

1 :of, relating to, or suggesting heaven

2 :of or relating to the sky

a celestial chart

Learn More about celestial

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for celestial Spanish Central: Translation of celestial Nglish: Translation of celestial for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of celestial for Arabic speakers

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celestial

Definition of celestial

celestially

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celestial

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