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
While Earth's storms can last hours or days, these cosmic disturbances can unfold over millions of years and span thousands of light-years.
—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
Shaped like a filament, this structure of gas and dust is around 290 light-years long.
—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
22 June 2026
When the black hole feeds on gas, the object unleashes particles in the form of wind or jets that move at nearly the speed of light, traveling up to thousands of light-years into space.
—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
Just as astronomers use telescopes to examine celestial objects light-years away, novelists can invoke imagined civilizations to reveal truths closer to home, in part by forcing their characters into contact with alien environments and worldviews.
—
Alexandra Oliva,
The Atlantic,
12 June 2026
Even with a small telescope, the seemingly mundane star is revealed as a gorgeous, colorful pair about 400 light-years away.
—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
7 June 2026
The star system in question, HD 81809, lies in the constellation Hydra and is roughly 90 to 101 light-years from Earth.
—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
6 June 2026
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
Shaped like a filament, this structure of gas and dust is around 290 light-years long.
—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
22 June 2026
When the black hole feeds on gas, the object unleashes particles in the form of wind or jets that move at nearly the speed of light, traveling up to thousands of light-years into space.
—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
Just as astronomers use telescopes to examine celestial objects light-years away, novelists can invoke imagined civilizations to reveal truths closer to home, in part by forcing their characters into contact with alien environments and worldviews.
—
Alexandra Oliva,
The Atlantic,
12 June 2026
Even with a small telescope, the seemingly mundane star is revealed as a gorgeous, colorful pair about 400 light-years away.
—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
7 June 2026
The star system in question, HD 81809, lies in the constellation Hydra and is roughly 90 to 101 light-years from Earth.
—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
6 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for light-years
Noun
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Dransfield suspects these fluffy, wispy worlds are probably white or blue, depending on whether the skies there are cloudy — no shades of cotton-candy pink.
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Dransfield suspects these fluffy, wispy worlds are probably white or blue, depending on whether the skies there are cloudy — not shades of cotton-candy pink.
Noun
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This team decided to test the gravitational influence of dark matter at the hearts of galaxies, environments dominated by supermassive black holes which can have masses millions or even billions of times that of the sun.
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The James Webb Space Telescope has found nearby brown dwarfs masquerading as far-distant galaxies.
Cite this Entry
“Light-years.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/light-years. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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