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 Eventually, the leftover heat from planetary formation was released from the system, and water oceans could develop. Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024 The Anthropocene proposal got its start in 2009, when a working group was convened to investigate whether recent planetary changes merited a place on the geologic timeline. Raymond Zhong, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Investing in green industrialism will help countries thrive and fuel the growth of clean energy technologies that the world so desperately needs to guarantee planetary and economic stability everywhere. María Mendiluce, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Rather than being contained in the city of Midgar, its backdrop is the entire world of Gaia and the impacts Shinra’s political and planetary machinations have had there. Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 22 Feb. 2024 In 1684 one of Halley’s contemporaries, Robert Hooke, claimed to be able to derive Kepler’s laws of planetary motion from simpler principles. Paul M. Sutter, Scientific American, 15 Feb. 2024 Despite these examples, resonant chains are rare, and only 1% of all planetary systems display them. Chris Impey, Discover Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024 Together these planetary portraits have had a far greater impact than all the environmental posters combined. Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024 Fluctuations in the bristlecones’ growth rate, affected by environmental conditions ranging from local rainfall to planetary climate change, will be measured by analyzing the thickness of tree rings in microcores retrieved from the mountain each year. Peter Rubin, Longreads, 8 Feb. 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 28 Mar. 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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