sublunary

[ suhb-loo-ner-ee, suhb-loo-nuh-ree ]
See synonyms for sublunary on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. situated beneath the moon or between the earth and the moon.

  2. characteristic of or pertaining to the earth; terrestrial.

  1. mundane or worldly: fleeting, sublunary pleasure.

Origin of sublunary

1
1585–95; <Late Latin sublūn(āris) (see sub-, lunar) + -ary
  • Also sub·lu·nar [suhb-loo-ner]. /sʌbˈlu nər/.

Words Nearby sublunary

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sublunary in a sentence

  • It has been subject, as all sublunary Things are, to great Revolutions and Misfortunes.

  • This marked a preconcerted moment—for the remote celestial phenomenon had been pressed into sublunary service as a lover's signal.

    Return of the Native | Thomas Hardy
  • “But here am I talking about these sublunary affairs, when the eclipse will be beginning,” cried Vibert.

    The Haunted Room | A. L. O. E.
  • Swithin sighed, lowered his thoughts to sublunary things, and told briefly the story of his journey.

    Two on a Tower | Thomas Hardy
  • Patiently to earn a spare bare living, and quietly to die, untouched by workhouse hands—this was her highest sublunary hope.

    Our Mutual Friend | Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for sublunary

sublunary

/ (sʌbˈluːnərɪ) /


adjective
  1. situated between the moon and the earth

  2. of or relating to the earth or world

Origin of sublunary

1
C16: via Late Latin, from Latin sub- + lūna moon

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012