galactic

adjective

ga·​lac·​tic gə-ˈlak-tik How to pronounce galactic (audio)
1
: of or relating to a galaxy and especially the Milky Way galaxy
2
: huge
a galactic sum of money

Examples of galactic in a Sentence

a galactic serving of soda that would have been enough for three moviegoers
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The terror is real, y'all, and the killer extraterrestrial goes perfectly with the galactic claustrophobia. Brian Truitt, USA Today, 14 June 2025 Elio, mistaken for Earth’s leader, becomes part of this galactic assembly and meets a wide variety of aliens. Kevin Giraud, Variety, 13 June 2025 This galactic jellyfish-bunny hybrid is none other than NGC 4858, a galaxy whose appearance has been molded by the extreme environment surrounding it. Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2025 Exactly which of these scenarios ultimately occurs could be governed by the masses of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and the Triangulum galaxy, two galactic players in the Local Group. Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for galactic

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin galacticus (taken as derivative of Galaxias "Milky Way"), borrowed from Greek galaktikós "milky," from galakt-, gála "milk" + -ikos -ic entry 1 — more at galaxy

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of galactic was in 1839

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Cite this Entry

“Galactic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/galactic. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

galactic

adjective
ga·​lac·​tic gə-ˈlak-tik How to pronounce galactic (audio)
: of or relating to a galaxy

More from Merriam-Webster on galactic

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