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 region, which lies about 58,000 light-years from the Milky Way’s center, has been captured in stunning detail by the James Webb telescope, revealing new insights into star formation in these remote galactic fringes. —Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 17 Sep. 2024

The chrome-like finish adds a galactic glam to your fall beauty routine. —Mia Meltzer, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2024

To investigate, the authors of a recent study in Nature Communications explored how microgravity and galactic cosmic radiation affect kidney function—particularly parts of the kidney called tubules, which help to maintain healthy salt and mineral levels. —Max Springer, Scientific American, 11 Sep. 2024

Falcão’s team took another look at the galactic region with Chandra in X-ray light. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 10 Sep. 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