galactic

adjective

ga·​lac·​tic gə-ˈlak-tik How to pronounce galactic (audio)
1
: of or relating to a galaxy and especially the Milky Way galaxy
2
: huge
a galactic sum of money

Examples of galactic in a Sentence

a galactic serving of soda that would have been enough for three moviegoers
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The source of the flare is an active galactic nucleus, or AGN — a bright, compact region at the center of a galaxy — and it’s powered by a supermassive black hole that is actively feeding on material. Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025 What these typically represent is smaller galaxies than our own — dwarf galaxies, satellite galaxies, potentially even large globular clusters — that have passed not only close to the Milky Way, but around or actually through the galactic plane itself on one or more occasions. Big Think, 4 Nov. 2025 The Milky Way, our own galactic home, is one such spiral, and studying other examples like NGC 3370 provides astronomers with clues about how galaxies form and evolve. Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 4 Nov. 2025 Any other creation theory – hollow Earth, flat Earth, mud collection, hanging cord, corpse reuse, dreamtime, biosphere as gemstone in the ring of a galactic giant, please insert alternative here. Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for galactic

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin galacticus (taken as derivative of Galaxias "Milky Way"), borrowed from Greek galaktikós "milky," from galakt-, gála "milk" + -ikos -ic entry 1 — more at galaxy

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of galactic was in 1839

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Galactic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/galactic. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

galactic

adjective
ga·​lac·​tic gə-ˈlak-tik How to pronounce galactic (audio)
: of or relating to a galaxy

More from Merriam-Webster on galactic

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