Meaning & use
constellations
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“constellations” is a form of “constellation”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounpluraltechnical
Groups of stars that appear close together in the night sky and have been given names and imagined shapes.
Grammar: Plural of constellation: Orion and the Big Dipper are constellations.
Patterns
- the constellations of the northern sky
- spot a constellation
Ancient sailors used the constellations to find their way at night.
Orion is one of the brightest constellations in winter.
Children at the camp learned to name the constellations overhead.
nounpluralfigurativeformal
Groups of related people, ideas or things that gather together and form a meaningful pattern.
Grammar: Often followed by of: constellations of factors.
Patterns
- a constellation of something
Researchers found several constellations of symptoms in the patients.
A constellation of film stars attended the awards night.
Different constellations of factors can lead to the same result.
Word forms
| singular | constellation |
|---|
Common combinations
- northern constellations
- The northern constellations rotate around the pole star.
- identify constellations
- We tried to identify constellations with a phone app.
- zodiac constellations
- The zodiac constellations lie along the path of the sun.
- familiar constellations
- The Big Dipper is among the most familiar constellations.
- constellations in the sky
- Constellations in the sky change with the seasons.
Synonyms and how they differ
- star patterns
- Star patterns is a plain description, while constellations is the official astronomical term.
- asterisms
- Asterisms are smaller informal star shapes, such as the Big Dipper, that are not among the official constellations.
- star groups
- Star groups is vague and could also mean real clusters, whereas constellations are patterns seen from Earth.
Word family
- constellation noun
- one pattern of stars
- stellar adjective
- relating to stars
- celestial adjective
- relating to the sky or heavens
- star noun
- a giant ball of burning gas seen as a point of light
Commonly confused: constellations or galaxies? constellations or consolations?
constellations vs galaxies
Galaxies are enormous systems of billions of stars, whereas constellations are just patterns of nearby-looking stars from Earth.
constellations vs consolations
Consolations are comforts after a loss. The word looks similar but is unrelated to stars.
Practice
Orion and Cassiopeia are examples of ____.
Choose one answer.
Constellations are named patterns of stars. Galaxies are vast star systems, planets orbit stars and comets are icy bodies.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “constellations”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.