planetary
planetarily
The adjective planetary has to do with any astronomical body that revolves around a star — including the earth. Rather than a circle, planetary motion takes us in an elliptical shape around the sun.
In science, planetary usually describes the attributes or motion of planets. It's also used for anything that behaves in a similar way, like planetary electrons, which revolve around their atomic nucleus as if they were tiny planets. You can also talk about things that affect our entire planet using this word: "She worries a lot about the planetary effects of climate change."
Definitions of planetary
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of or relating to or resembling the physical or orbital characteristics of a planet or the planets
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having no fixed course
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of or relating to or characteristic of the planet Earth or its inhabitants
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involving the entire earth; not limited or provincial in scope“neither national nor continental but planetary”
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synonyms:
global, world, world-wide, worldwide
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international
concerning or belonging to all or at least two or more nations
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international
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘planetary'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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