astronomical

adjective

ˌa-strə-ˈnä-mi-kəl How to pronounce astronomical (audio)
variants also astronomic
Definition of astronomicalnext
as in huge
unusually large a googol is an astronomical number, and the whimsical coinage of the name was intended to suggest that fact

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of astronomical Coastal conditions are still dangerous with prolonged winds, elevated wave heights and high astronomical tides. — Garfield Hylton, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026 This weekend will end with one of October’s final major astronomical events. — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 23 Oct. 2026 Donaldson’s astronomical rise to success has become a blueprint for the future of the creator economy, according to Steven Bartlett, an investor and host of The Diary of a CEO podcast. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026 Since the 1970s, leap seconds have also been doing the job of correcting the imbalance between astronomical time and the ultraprecise atomic clocks that now set the global standard. — Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for astronomical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for astronomical
  1. huge
  2. enormous
  3. vast
  4. tremendous
  5. gigantic
  6. massive
  7. giant
  8. colossal
Adjective
  • Perhaps never before in midterm contests has the electorate waved such a huge middle finger at a president and his craven enablers, otherwise known as Republicans.
    — Bradley Gitz, Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2026
  • Alaska could be transformed into a major data center hub following a new assessment of natural gas resources in the region which appear big enough to power huge advanced computing and AI sites.
    — Oliver Trapnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of huge
Adjective
  • And that’s where the technology’s enormous energy density of 3,505 watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg) figure comes from.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Everything felt generous, from the space surrounding the enormous bed to the walk-in wardrobe and the standalone bathtub.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of enormous
Adjective
  • PeterPencil/Getty The United Nations, many Western governments and the DRC have long accused the government in neighboring Rwanda of backing M23 in a bid to control and exploit the much larger country's vast mineral resources.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Team registrations for the skijoring community competition during the Lake Tahoe championship weekend are still open with a vast majority of slots still available.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of vast
Adjective
  • South Carolina is eight spots too high in the committee poll, again, given a tremendous amount of deference to simply existing in the SEC.
    — Ian Miller, FOXNews.com, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Guthrie, however, enjoys tremendous standing at NBCUniversal.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of tremendous
Adjective
  • The gigantic sculptures, though sedentary, have been on tour.
    — Laura Zornosa, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Ubisoft's Massive Entertainment also got it right with Star Wars Outlaws, but that ambitious open-world title — hardly a fresh pitch nowadays — also faced high sales expectations due to an inevitably gigantic production budget.
    — Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of gigantic
Adjective
  • The Giants reportedly even checked in about Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson, the NFL’s leading rusher who signed a massive extension in the offseason.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Homeowners in Keller's Marshall Ridge neighborhood had opposed the project, saying they were blindsided by plans to build the massive data center just a few hundred feet from their properties.
    — Doug Myers, CBS News, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of massive
Adjective
  • By sunset, everyone gathers on the beach to watch the last kiters streak across the water as what looks like a giant ball of fire slips into the ocean.
    — Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Menu favorites like vodka rigatoni appear alongside new dishes including a giant carbonara raviolo and lobster spaghetti fra diavolo.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of giant
Adjective
  • As far as settings for monster movies go, that decimated landscape would seem an odd choice—the very raison d’être of such films is to show a colossal creature laying waste to a city.
    — Matt Alt, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The northern lights could put on an impressive display this weekend as a colossal coronal hole on the sun fires a stream of high-speed solar wind toward Earth.
    — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of colossal

Browse Nearby Words

astronautic
astronomical
astronomically
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Astronomical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/astronomical. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All