as in worlds
a huge physical or conceptual distance
my sister and I are close in age, but personality-wise, there are light-years between us
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Recent Examples of light-years
Far out from the black hole, thousands to tens of thousands of light-years away, is a relatively normal galaxy not too different from the Milky Way.
—
Phil Plait, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2025
The citizen science team also spotted two additional odd radio circles in two different galaxies, including one located at the end of a powerful jet that has a sharp curve, resulting in a radio ring about 100,000 light-years wide.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
That smudge is the Orion Nebula, which at a distance of just 1,500 light-years is one of the closest star-forming regions to Earth and makes for a beautiful target through binoculars or a 6-inch telescope.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
The central bulge of our home galaxy is about 12,000 light-years in diameter.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 12 Oct. 2025
Moisturizer’s confidence level feels light-years away from its predecessor — and starts with their respective album artwork.
—Sophie Williams, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2025
Although there are many others, these five stars are all located within a mere 12 light-years of Earth.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 7 Oct. 2025
Phil Plait, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2025
The citizen science team also spotted two additional odd radio circles in two different galaxies, including one located at the end of a powerful jet that has a sharp curve, resulting in a radio ring about 100,000 light-years wide.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
That smudge is the Orion Nebula, which at a distance of just 1,500 light-years is one of the closest star-forming regions to Earth and makes for a beautiful target through binoculars or a 6-inch telescope.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
The central bulge of our home galaxy is about 12,000 light-years in diameter.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 12 Oct. 2025
Moisturizer’s confidence level feels light-years away from its predecessor — and starts with their respective album artwork.
—Sophie Williams, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2025
Although there are many others, these five stars are all located within a mere 12 light-years of Earth.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for light-years
Noun
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Amid the drafting tables and miniature models, Carter not only honed his technical skills but also absorbed how seasoned designers build worlds from scratch.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
19 Oct. 2025
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His album, Comfort in Chaos is a lens into his personal journey of bridging his public and private worlds.—
Jessica Coacci,
Fortune,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Its images have illuminated how galaxies form, evolve and recycle their material through generations of star birth and death.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
20 Oct. 2025
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Those features then show up at late times, imprinted in the Big Bang’s leftover glow (the cosmic microwave background, or CMB), as well as in the large-scale clustering of galaxies.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Light-years.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/light-years. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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