planetary

adjective

plan·​e·​tary ˈpla-nə-ˌter-ē How to pronounce planetary (audio)
1
a
: of, relating to, being, or resembling a planet
c
: having a motion like that of a planet
planetary electrons
d
: immense
the scope of this project has reached planetary proportions
2
a
: of, relating to, or belonging to the earth : terrestrial
b
: global, worldwide
planetary politics
3
: having or consisting of an epicyclic train of gear wheels

Examples of planetary in a Sentence

a positively planetary new shopping development
Recent Examples on the Web That effect is unusual even for other kinds of cosmic alignments, such as planetary conjunctions. Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2024 Sometime within the next 50 million years, the moon is expected to either crash into Mars or break up into a planetary ring like Saturn's. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024 But other scientists interpret the same observations as evidence of an inhospitable, gaseous planetary composition more like Neptune’s. Elise Cutts, WIRED, 7 Apr. 2024 These effects are likely to be felt until a new planetary pattern forms. Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024 Ever since, the Montreal Protocol, as the pact is known, has stood as a milestone of collective action in the face of a planetary environmental threat, as well as a rebuke of the lack of international resolve to tackle the more dire and complex threat of climate change. Trip Gabriel, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024 This planetary shift, from April 1 through May 13, is like a bad April fool’s joke. Essence Lifestyle, Essence, 1 Apr. 2024 The location could be an ideal place to search for alien life on Mars, said Lee, who is also a planetary scientist at the SETI Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to searching for evidence of extraterrestrial life. Jackie Wattles, CNN, 29 Mar. 2024 This was geek heaven for Asher, who got to speak with specialists in planetary defense (news flash: no known asteroids are on track to hit Earth) and space resources (evidently ice on the moon’s polar caps is stirring up a lot of interest). Leslie Camhi, Travel + Leisure, 30 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'planetary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of planetary was in 1607

Dictionary Entries Near planetary

Cite this Entry

“Planetary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/planetary. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

planetary

adjective
plan·​e·​tary ˈplan-ə-ˌter-ē How to pronounce planetary (audio)
1
a
: of or relating to a planet
b
: having a motion like that of a planet
planetary electrons of the atomic nucleus
2
: worldwide, global
a matter of planetary concern

More from Merriam-Webster on planetary

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