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
They were subsequently declared ineligible for that year's Best Original Score Oscar — remarkable considering this was, by several hundred light-years, the most original score out there.
—
Richard Edwards, Space.com, 31 Mar. 2026
An actual cosmic void — which can indeed be a billion light-years (or more) across — has nothing to do with dark gas clouds and Bok globules, which are small, nearby clouds of light-blocking matter, particularly at optical wavelengths.
—Big Think, 26 Mar. 2026
Right now the Republican Party is light-years away from that, and those who cherish conservatism should say so.
—Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
Imagine waking up, groggy and bearded, on a space ship light-years from Earth.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 22 Mar. 2026
Located around 40 light-years from Earth, TRAPPIST-1 d, e, f, and g all orbit their red dwarf star at distances that hypothetically could support liquid water.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026
The planet in question, L 98-59 d, sits roughly 35 light-years away.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Mar. 2026
The picture released Wednesday by the European Southern Observatory zeroes in on a region of cold cosmic gases more than 650 light-years across.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Richard Edwards, Space.com, 31 Mar. 2026
An actual cosmic void — which can indeed be a billion light-years (or more) across — has nothing to do with dark gas clouds and Bok globules, which are small, nearby clouds of light-blocking matter, particularly at optical wavelengths.
—Big Think, 26 Mar. 2026
Right now the Republican Party is light-years away from that, and those who cherish conservatism should say so.
—Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
Imagine waking up, groggy and bearded, on a space ship light-years from Earth.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 22 Mar. 2026
Located around 40 light-years from Earth, TRAPPIST-1 d, e, f, and g all orbit their red dwarf star at distances that hypothetically could support liquid water.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026
The planet in question, L 98-59 d, sits roughly 35 light-years away.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Mar. 2026
The picture released Wednesday by the European Southern Observatory zeroes in on a region of cold cosmic gases more than 650 light-years across.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for light-years
Noun
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Set the scene The electric whoosh of automatic doors at the entrance, activated by room keys, act like a Shinto torii gate, marking the transition between two starkly different worlds—inside and outside the hotel.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 Apr. 2026
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The summit will explore how the two worlds connect – from adapting digital IP into cinematic projects and scouting emerging talent, to engaging audiences that drive communities to theaters and exploring innovative marketing strategies.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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There are billions of galaxies in the universe and each has billions of stars, so the likelihood life developed elsewhere is fairly high, according to University of Michigan Astronomy Professor Edwin Bergin, who teaches about looking for life elsewhere.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
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The European Space Agency telescope is designed to make a 3D map of the universe by looking at billions of galaxies up to 10 billion light years away across one third of the sky.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Light-years.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/light-years. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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