WordGarden.ioastronomic
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /əstrənˈɒmɪk/
US
Meanings
Adjective
relating to astronomy, stars, planets, or outer space
extremely large in amount, size, or scale
Beyond the definition
The word "astronomic" comes from astronomy, the study of stars, planets, and space. Historically, it could refer to things tied to the heavens, but in modern English it usually means incredibly large, huge, or hard to imagine. Think about the price of houses in some cities—those can be astronomic.
You might hear about "astronomic distances" between stars, which goes back to its original meaning. More often, people use it for numbers that are very big, like national debt, costs, or profits.
"Astronomic" has two related meanings. Its roots are in astronomy, the study of celestial objects such as stars, planets, galaxies, and everything beyond our atmosphere. In older or technical contexts, it could describe things connected to that field, like astronomy, and its calculations.
In everyday use, it has a much wider life as a word for something immensely large. That broader meaning comes from comparing ordinary scales to the vast numbers found in the universe. So today, if we call something "astronomic," we usually mean it is extraordinarily high, vast, or enormous in amount.
For example: "The cost of healthcare has reached astronomic levels," or "She received an astronomic number of birthday cards." You also hear it with things like "astronomic rates" or "astronomic profits" to mean very high or very costly.
While it can still be used for space-related ideas, it is now most commonly heard in business, finance, and everyday descriptions of big quantities. Whether discussing the cosmos or colossal costs, "astronomic" points toward something truly immense.
Examples
- 1
Housing cost
They were asking an astronomic price for a two-bedroom apartment.
- 2
Repair cost
Fixing the damage would require an astronomic amount of money.
- 3
National debt
The country's debt has risen to an astronomic sum.
- Phrasean astronomic sum
an extremely large amount of money
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
- exorbitant
- colossal
- sky-high
Contrast
Do not confuse
Used with (collocations)
- astronomic cost
- astronomic price
- astronomic sum
Word family
Explore
- orders of magnitude
- hyperbole
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- astronomicadjective