galactic

adjective

ga·​lac·​tic gə-ˈlak-tik 

1

: of or relating to a galaxy and especially the Milky Way galaxy

2

: huge

a galactic sum of money

Synonyms

• astronomical
• astronomic
• Brobdingnagian
• bumper
• colossal
• cosmic
• cosmical
• cyclopean
• elephantine
• enormous
• gargantuan
• giant
• gigantesque
• gigantic
• grand
• herculean
• heroic
• heroical
• Himalayan
• huge
• humongous
• humungous
• immense
• jumbo
• king-size
• king-sized
• leviathan
• mammoth
• massive
• mega
• mighty
• monster
• monstrous
• monumental
• mountainous
• oceanic
• pharaonic
• planetary
• prodigious
• super
• super-duper
• supersize
• supersized
• titanic
• tremendous
• vast
• vasty
• walloping
• whacking
• whopping

Examples of galactic in a Sentence

a galactic serving of soda that would have been enough for three moviegoers

Recent Examples on the Web

This supermassive black hole, at the heart of a quasar known as 3C 273, offers a unique view into the complex interplay of galactic forces billions of light-years away. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024

There’s an Emperor from House Corrino on the galactic throne, Bene Gesserit sisters manipulating events from the shadows, precious spice being mined from the sands of the desert planet Arrakis, and a murderous rivalry between Houses Harkonnen and Atreides. —EW.com, 9 Dec. 2024

Day 6 of the 2024 Space Telescope Advent Calendar: a galactic collision. —Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2024

The progress on elliptical galaxy studies, however, will push forward as researchers plan to combine their findings with data gathered from the James Webb Space Telescope, Euclid telescope, and the Chinese Space Station to advance their knowledge of galactic evolution. —Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 5 Dec. 2024

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

Kids Definition

galactic

adjective

ga·​lac·​tic gə-ˈlak-tik 

: of or relating to a galaxy