light-year

noun

ˈlīt-ˌyir How to pronounce light-year (audio)
Definition of light-yearnext
as in world
a huge physical or conceptual distance my sister and I are close in age, but personality-wise, there are light-years between us

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of light-year This white dwarf is only 48 light-years away from Earth, and has a deep convection zone. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026 About 65 million light-years from Earth, three galaxies don’t look quite right. — Quanta Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026 Smart home control, routines, general queries, calendar management, and shopping are light-years ahead of pre-AI Alexa, mostly because the new Alexa understands me better. — Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 8 Oct. 2026 Set the scene Etéreo, Auberge Collection (which draws its name from the Spanish word for ‘ethereal’) is only a 30-minute drive from the Cancún airport, but this slice of heaven on the Riviera Maya feels light-years away from the chaos. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for light-year
Recent Examples of Synonyms for light-year
  1. world
  2. galaxy
Noun
  • Who would want the callous world that successfully cloistered the feelings of others?
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Daily Alerts Stay informed as soon as important news breaks around Washington DC and the entire world.
    — Washington Examiner, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of world
Noun
  • These explosions, known as hypernovas, were first proposed to explain unusual stars in the halo of our galaxy, the Milky Way, and in a neighboring dwarf galaxy.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • That all three gossamer galaxies existed along a line, as neighbors, didn’t escape the attention of astrophysicists, who began to coalesce around an origin story.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of galaxy

Browse Nearby Words

lightweights
light-year
light-years
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Cite this Entry

“Light-year.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/light-year. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on light-year

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about light-year

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