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Synonyms

cosmos

American  
[koz-mohs, -muhs] / ˈkɒz moʊs, -məs /

noun

plural

cosmos, cosmoses

  1. the world or universe regarded as an orderly, harmonious system.

  2. a complete, orderly, harmonious system.

  3. order; harmony.

  4. any composite plant of the genus Cosmos, of tropical America, some species of which, as C. bipannatus and C. sulphureus, are cultivated for their showy ray flowers.

  5. (initial capital letter) Also Kosmos. one of a long series of Soviet satellites that have been launched into orbit around the earth.

Cosmos 1 British  
/ ˈkɒzmɒs /

noun

  1. astronautics any of various types of Soviet satellite, including Cosmos 1 (launched 1962) and nearly 2000 subsequent satellites

"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
cosmos 2 British  
/ ˈkɒzmɒs /

noun

  1. the world or universe considered as an ordered system

  2. any ordered system

  3. harmony; order

  4. any tropical American plant of the genus Cosmos, cultivated as garden plants for their brightly coloured flowers: family Asteraceae (composites)

"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
cosmos Scientific  
/ kŏz′məs,kŏz′mōs′ /

  1. The universe, especially when considered as an orderly and harmonious whole.

Usage

What is the cosmos flower? A cosmos is a flower with brightly colored, raylike petals.The name cosmos can be used for any plant in the genus Cosmos. The plural can be cosmos or cosmoses.Cosmoses are popular in gardens. Two of the best-known species are Cosmos bipannatus and Cosmos sulphureus (known as sulphur cosmos), both of which are cultivated for their flowers.Cosmos flowers vary widely in color. Varieties include yellow, orange, pink, and purple. In some varieties, the petals are notched at the tips.Cosmos are one of the October birth flowers (a flower that’s associated with a particular month in the same way as a birthstone).Example: The display at the botanical garden featured flashy orange cosmoses.

Etymology

Origin of cosmos

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English, from Greek kósmos “order, form, arrangement, the world or universe”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Among the names read out was Prof Peter Higgs, the British theorist who, nearly half a century earlier, had predicted the existence of a particle believed to hold the cosmos together – the Higgs boson.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

Phenomenologists argue that total objectivity is beyond us: We study the cosmos from within the cosmos, and consciousness from within consciousness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

Tillmans’ interest in stargazing goes back to his adolescence, and images of the moon and cosmos recur in his work.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026

Using newly released data from major dark energy observatories, he concludes that the cosmos will continue expanding for roughly another 11 billion years before reaching its largest size.

From Science Daily • Feb. 16, 2026

Emptiness and disorder were the primeval, natural state of the cosmos, and there was always a nagging fear that at the end of time, disorder and void would reign once more.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.