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
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 light-years
To that end, a multi-national team of astronomers led by Kosuke Namekata of Kyoto University in Japan have made a breakthrough by targeting the young sun-like star EK Draconis, which is 112 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Draco, the Dragon.
—
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Located about 162 light-years away from Earth, β CMi is encompassed by a disk of hydrogen moving incredibly fast.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 22 Oct. 2025
However, while real stars are massive, glowing balls of gas located light-years away from Earth, meteors are usually just tiny bits of rock or dust—often no bigger than a grain of sand—that come from comets or asteroids.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
That fuzzy little patch is our Milky Way Galaxy’s next-door neighbor, over 2 million light-years away, with just one light year equaling almost 6 trillion miles.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
The jets can flow for hundreds of thousands of light-years in some cases, extending well outside the galaxy itself.
—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
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Located about 162 light-years away from Earth, β CMi is encompassed by a disk of hydrogen moving incredibly fast.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 22 Oct. 2025
However, while real stars are massive, glowing balls of gas located light-years away from Earth, meteors are usually just tiny bits of rock or dust—often no bigger than a grain of sand—that come from comets or asteroids.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
That fuzzy little patch is our Milky Way Galaxy’s next-door neighbor, over 2 million light-years away, with just one light year equaling almost 6 trillion miles.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
The jets can flow for hundreds of thousands of light-years in some cases, extending well outside the galaxy itself.
—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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for light-years
Noun
-
The annual fundraising event, presented by Gucci, benefits the historic museum, and brought together figures from across the fashion, art, film, and music worlds.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
2 Nov. 2025
-
The moon is glimmering, the veil between worlds is thin and there’s an air of mischief lingering in the shadows.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In the early 2010s, Courtois was part of the team that discovered and described the Laniakea supercluster of galaxies to which our Milky Way belongs.—
Caroline Carlson,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Over the decades, the observatories on Kitt Peak have helped map dark matter, chart distant galaxies and train generations of astronomers.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Light-years.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/light-years. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share