Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of or relating to the regions of the universe distinct from Earth.
  • adjective Infinitely or inconceivably extended; vast.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Of or pertaining to the universe, especially to the universe regarded as subject to a harmonious system of laws.
  • Hence Pertaining to universal order; harmonious, as the universe; orderly: the opposite of chaotic.
  • Forming a part of the material universe, especially of what lies outside of the solar system.
  • In astronomy, visible for the first time before sunrise: only in the phrase the cosmical setting of a star.
  • Inconceivably prolonged or protracted, like the periods of time required for the development of great astronomical changes; immeasurably extended in space; universal in extent.
  • Of or pertaining to cosmism: as, the cosmic philosophy.
  • noun A name proposed by H. L. Fairchild, in accordance with the new planetesimal hypothesis, for the primitive massive rocks.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Pertaining to the universe, and having special reference to universal law or order, or to the one grand harmonious system of things; hence; harmonious; orderly.
  • adjective Pertaining to the solar system as a whole, and not to the earth alone.
  • adjective Characteristic of the cosmos or universe; inconceivably great; vast.
  • adjective (Astron.) Rising or setting with the sun; -- the opposite of acronycal.
  • adjective of unsurpassed size, extent, or significance; vast.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Of or from or pertaining to the cosmos or universe.
  • adjective Infinitely or inconceivably extended; vast

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective inconceivably extended in space or time
  • adjective of or from or pertaining to or characteristic of the cosmos or universe

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Greek kosmikos, from kosmos, universe.]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word cosmic.

Examples

  • The term cosmic consciousness as well describes this condition of the disciple, as any words can, perhaps, although the term liberation is more literal, since the influx of this state of being, is actually the liberation of the _atman_, the eternal Self, from the illusion of the external, or _maya_.

    Cosmic Consciousness

  • Although my parents were orthodox Jews, the Holocaust had severely tested their belief in the God of Abraham and the idea of what I call cosmic justice which in biblical terms equates to heaven and hell.

    Sheldon Drobny: The Concept of Cosmic Justice 2008

  • And so, I have my first slide to talk about the dawning of the universe and what I call the cosmic scene investigation, that is, looking at the relics of creation and inferring what happened at the beginning, and then following it up and trying to understand it.

    George Smoot on the design of the universe 2008

  • And so, I have my first slide to talk about the dawning of the universe and what I call the cosmic scene investigation, that is, looking at the relics of creation and inferring what happened at the beginning, and then following it up and trying to understand it.

    George Smoot on the design of the universe 2008

  • And so, I have my first slide to talk about the dawning of the universe and what I call the cosmic scene investigation, that is, looking at the relics of creation and inferring what happened at the beginning, and then following it up and trying to understand it.

    George Smoot on the design of the universe 2008

  • The Ahriman of Huxley, the principle of evil, is what he termed the cosmic process, that great play of forces, by which, in a ruthless struggle for existence, the fittest (by which is meant the most suited to the surrounding conditions and not necessarily the ethically best) have survived at the expense of the less fit.

    Thomas Henry Huxley; A Sketch Of His Life And Work 1904

  • The Ahriman of Huxley, the principle of evil, is what he termed the cosmic process, that great play of forces, by which, in a ruthless struggle for existence, the fittest (by which is meant the most suited to the surrounding conditions and not necessarily the ethically best) have survived at the expense of the less fit.

    Thomas Henry Huxley A Sketch Of His Life And Work Mitchell, P Chalmers 1900

  • So that when the Cylons come back and nuke the humans, there is a certain cosmic payback. jb

    A BSG Prediction 2009

  • Among his research papers one finds included, the discovery of neutral pions in cosmic rays (together with J. Hooper and D.T. King at Bristol University, England) and the first systematic study of antiproton annihilations (together with research groups at the University of California, Berkeley, USA).

    CV of Gösta Ekspong 2010

  • Only remain cosmic force and matter, ever in flux, ever acting and reacting and realizing the eternal types-the priest, the soldier, and the king.

    Page 5 2010

  • Its four 3-metre-long antennas, arranged in a cross shape, will attempt to measure the ‘cosmic dawn’, a feature thought to be detectable in the radio spectrum that would reveal the appearance of the Universe’s very first stars.

    Are telescopes on the Moon doomed before they’ve even been built? Davide Castelvecchi 2023

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.