Meaning & use
cosmos
Last updated
Meanings
nounsingular
The whole of space, matter, and energy, especially when thought of as a single ordered system.
Grammar: Usually takes a singular verb and is used with 'the': the cosmos is expanding. It is not used with 'a' or in the plural in this sense.
Patterns
- the cosmos
- the structure of the cosmos
- the origin of the cosmos
Astronomers study the large-scale structure of the cosmos.
Many cultures have told stories about how the cosmos began.
The cosmos is thought to be about 13.8 billion years old.
nouncountableliteraryfigurative
A complete, ordered system of ideas, things, or experiences.
Grammar: Can be used with 'a' and in the plural when it means a particular ordered world or system: a cosmos of ideas, different moral cosmos.
Patterns
- a cosmos of something
- someone's cosmos
Her novels create a rich cosmos of family memories and secrets.
For the child, the garden was a whole cosmos full of hidden creatures.
nouncountable or uncountablebiology
A plant of the daisy family with brightly colored flowers, often grown in gardens.
Grammar: As a plant name it can be countable (a cosmos, two cosmos) or uncountable when talking about the group (planted cosmos).
Patterns
- grow cosmos
- a bed of cosmos
The garden was full of tall yellow and pink cosmos.
She planted cosmos along the fence for late-summer color.
Word forms
| plural | cosmoses |
|---|
Common combinations
- the structure of the cosmos
- New telescopes have revealed more about the structure of the cosmos.
- the origin of the cosmos
- The class discussed the origin of the cosmos and the Big Bang.
- the vastness of the cosmos
- Poets often write about the vastness of the cosmos.
- explore the cosmos
- Robotic probes help us explore the cosmos without leaving Earth.
- the cosmos expands
- Evidence shows that the cosmos expands faster than expected.
Synonyms and how they differ
- universe
- Universe is the everyday, neutral word for all of space and matter; cosmos is more formal and often suggests order and harmony.
- creation
- Creation often includes a religious idea of everything made by a god, while cosmos is used in scientific or philosophical contexts without that religious meaning.
- macrocosm
- Macrocosm means the whole of a large system seen as a single unit, often contrasted with a small part; cosmos simply means the whole ordered universe.
Opposites
Word family
- cosmic adjective
- relating to the cosmos, as in cosmic rays or cosmic dust.
- cosmology noun
- the scientific study of the origin and nature of the cosmos.
- cosmologist noun
- a scientist who studies the cosmos and its history.
- cosmological adjective
- connected with cosmology or the study of the cosmos.
Commonly confused: cosmos or cosmos?
cosmos vs cosmos
Do not confuse with 'cosmos' the flower, which is a countable plant noun; the universe meaning is singular and takes 'the'.
Practice
The telescope allows astronomers to study the ______ in greater detail than ever before.
Choose one answer.
'Cosmos' fits because the sentence is about the ordered universe studied by astronomers. 'Cosmetic' means related to beauty, 'cosmos flower' is a plant, and 'cosmopolitan' describes a worldly person or place, so none of them fits the scientific context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cosmos”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.