cosmos

noun cos·mos \ ˈkäz-məs , senses 1 & 2 also -ˌmōs , -ˌmäs \

Updated on: 23 May 2018

Definition of cosmos

1 a : universe 1

b (1) : an orderly harmonious systematic universe — compare chaos

(2) : order, harmony

2 : a complex orderly self-inclusive system

3 plural cosmos play \ˈkäz-məs, -məz\ also cosmoses play \ˈkäz-mə-səz\

[New Latin, genus name, from Greek kosmos]

: any of a genus (Cosmos) of tropical American composite herbs; especially : a widely cultivated tall annual (C. bipinnatus) with yellow or red disks and showy ray flowers

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Examples of cosmos in a Sentence

the origins of the cosmos
an essay that ponders the place of humankind in the vast cosmos

Recent Examples of cosmos from the Web

Recorded live with just a few vocal and synth overdubs, 2017’s 8 (Neurot) focuses on the intrinsic bonds and unstoppable movements in the cosmos.

— jamie ludwig, Chicago Reader, "Italian psychedelic doom trio Ufomammut contemplate the universe on the boundary-pushing 8," 17 May 2018
The Neville Brothers, the best band in the cosmos, were regulars.

— doug maccash, NOLA.com, "Jazz Fest 2018: Thinking of Charles Neville," 6 May 2018
The first stop is a satellite galaxy that orbits our Milky Way called the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of the most famous objects in the cosmos.

— shannon stirone, WIRED, "Space Photos of the Week: A Tale of Two Galaxies," 5 May 2018
But Trump's commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, is dead serious about the United States developing a role for itself in the cosmos.

— josh rogin, star-telegram, "Will space be the next "big battleground"? | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 4 May 2018
But for most of history, people had little more than low-tech telescopes and highly active imaginations with which to explore the idea that there’s life out there in the cosmos.

— matt blitz, Popular Mechanics, "We Can Explore Instead of Believe: Inside the Epic Hunt for E.T.," 30 Apr. 2018
Huge moves in the cosmos occur on May 15, when two major astrological events kick off an exciting and extremely important new cycle.

— aliza kelly faragher, Allure, "What May's Aries Horoscope Means for You," 26 Apr. 2018
In the mid-1980s, Bernard Schutz came up with a new solution to one of astronomy’s oldest problems: how to measure the distance from Earth to other objects in the cosmos.

— davide castelvecchi, Scientific American, "Here Come the Waves," 23 Apr. 2018
Since liquid water is required by all forms of terrestrial life, looking for it in the cosmos makes a good starting-point in the quest for life of the non-terrestrial sort.

— The Economist, "The search for exoplanets moves to Earth’s back yard," 19 Apr. 2018

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

cosmos and the Universe

Cosmos often simply means "universe". But the word is generally used to suggest an orderly or harmonious universe, as it was originally used by Pythagoras in the 6th century B.C. Thus, a religious mystic may help put us in touch with the cosmos, and so may a physicist. The same is often true of the adjective cosmic: Cosmic rays (really particles rather than rays) bombard us from outer space, but cosmic questions come from human attempts to find order in the universe.