Meaning & use
celestial
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
Belonging to the sky or outer space, especially the stars, planets, and other bodies seen from Earth.
Grammar: Almost always before a noun: celestial bodies.
Patterns
- celestial body
- celestial object
The moon and planets are celestial bodies.
Ancient sailors navigated using celestial maps.
The telescope captured a rare celestial event.
adjectivecomparableliterary
Relating to heaven or to gods, or so beautiful that it seems divine.
Grammar: Can be used before a noun or after a verb: a celestial choir.
Patterns
- celestial being
- celestial music
The choir's voices sounded almost celestial.
Angels are celestial beings in many traditions.
The garden had a celestial calm.
Common combinations
- celestial body
- A comet is a celestial body.
- celestial sphere
- Stars appear on the celestial sphere.
- celestial navigation
- Sailors used celestial navigation.
- celestial being
- The painting shows a celestial being.
Synonyms and how they differ
- heavenly
- Heavenly can mean delightful in casual speech, while celestial is more formal or technical.
- astronomical
- Astronomical relates to astronomy or to huge numbers, not to beauty.
- divine
- Divine stresses connection to a god.
Opposites
Word family
- celestially adverb
- in a heavenly way
- celeste noun
- a sky blue color or a musical instrument
Commonly confused: celestial or terrestrial?
celestial vs terrestrial
Terrestrial relates to the Earth, the opposite of celestial.
Practice
A comet, a planet, and a star are all examples of ___ bodies.
Choose one answer.
Celestial bodies are objects in the sky or space. Terrestrial and earthly refer to the Earth, and marine to the sea.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “celestial”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.