observatory

noun

ob·​ser·​va·​to·​ry əb-ˈzər-və-ˌtȯr-ē 

plural observatories

1

: a building or place given over to or equipped for observation of natural phenomena (as in astronomy)

also : an institution whose primary purpose is making such observations

2

: a situation or structure commanding a wide view

Synonyms of observatory

• tower
• overlook
• lookout

Examples of observatory in a Sentence

the observatory is located on a mountaintop

Recent Examples on the Web

Now, a team using observations from the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton space observatory and the LOFAR telescope has definitively recorded a CME beyond our cosmic neighborhood. —Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 12 Nov. 2025

An observatory in South Africa even recently detected the first radio signals from 3I/Atlas, according to Wired. —Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025

And this is how modern gravitational wave observatories — like the LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA detectors — actually successfully detect these gravitational waves. —Big Think, 7 Nov. 2025

The observatory is conducting a ten-year-long survey of the southern sky, dubbed the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, which has as one of its principal goals improving our understanding of the nature of both dark energy and dark matter. —Ian Randall, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin observātōrium "place for observing celestial phenomena," from Latin observāre "to give attention, watch carefully, observe" + -tōrium, suffix of place, noun derivative from neuter of -tōrius, deverbal adjective suffix originally forming derivatives from agent nouns ending in -tōr-, -tor

First Known Use

1673, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for observatory

• accusatory
• admonitory
• ambulatory
• amendatory
• celebratory
• circulatory
• combinatory
• commendatory
• compensatory
• condemnatory
• confirmatory
• confiscatory

Kids Definition

observatory

noun

ob·​ser·​va·​to·​ry əb-ˈzər-və-ˌtōr-ē 

-ˌtȯr-

plural observatories

1

: a place or institution equipped with instruments for observation of natural objects and events (as in astronomy)

2

: a place providing a wide view