Meaning & use
interplanetary
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparabletechnical
relating to travel or space between planets, or happening among the planets.
Grammar: Used before a noun: interplanetary travel, interplanetary dust.
Patterns
- interplanetary travel
- interplanetary space
- interplanetary mission
The novel describes an interplanetary war between Earth and Mars.
Scientists study interplanetary dust to understand how the solar system formed.
Rockets for interplanetary journeys need far more fuel than those reaching orbit.
adjectivenot comparabletechnicalfigurative
involving communication or relations between different planets in stories about the future.
Grammar: Also before a noun, often in science fiction: an interplanetary alliance.
Patterns
- interplanetary alliance
- interplanetary relations
In the film, an interplanetary council tries to keep peace among the colonies.
The game lets players build an interplanetary trading network.
Common combinations
- interplanetary travel
- Interplanetary travel is still far beyond what current engines can do.
- interplanetary space
- The probe left Earth's orbit and entered interplanetary space.
- interplanetary mission
- The agency announced an interplanetary mission to study Jupiter's moons.
- interplanetary dust
- Interplanetary dust can damage spacecraft windows.
Synonyms and how they differ
- interstellar
- Use 'interstellar' for the space between stars, which is much farther away than the space between planets.
- extraterrestrial
- 'Extraterrestrial' means coming from beyond Earth, not specifically from between planets.
Word family
- planetary adjective
- relating to a planet
- planet noun
- a large round body that moves around a star
Commonly confused: interplanetary or interstellar?
interplanetary vs interstellar
'Interplanetary' is between planets; 'interstellar' is between stars, a much larger scale.
Practice
Which word best completes the sentence? 'The spacecraft left Earth's orbit and entered ______ space.'
Choose one answer.
'Interplanetary' means between planets, which fits a spacecraft leaving Earth's orbit. 'Intercontinental' is about travel between continents on Earth, and 'interpersonal' is about relations between people.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “interplanetary”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.