sublunary

[ suhb-loo-ner-ee, suhb-loo-nuh-ree ]

adjective

1. situated beneath the moon or between the earth and the moon.
2. characteristic of or pertaining to the earth; terrestrial.
3. mundane or worldly:

   fleeting, sublunary pleasure.

sublunary

/ sʌbˈluːnərɪ /

adjective

1. situated between the moon and the earth
2. of or relating to the earth or world

Word History and Origins

Origin of sublunary¹

1585–95; < Late Latin sublūn ( āris ) ( sub-, lunar ) + -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of sublunary¹

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

Example Sentences

“Among other things, many ignored the reality that millions of African Americans were quite pleased with the decidedly sublunary consolations of equal protection under the law.”

From Washington Post

The sublunary world, the world this side of the moon, is the world of generation and corruption—the rest of the universe has existed unchanging from all eternity.

From Literature

He is scrupulously genial and polite, and happy to talk about theories of spacetime, but extremely reluctant to say anything on the record about the book’s more sublunary themes and ideas.

From The Guardian

But change is the only constant in our sublunary world, as writers down the centuries have noted; Powell, too, knew this well.

From New York Times

For Plato, the sublunary world was a distorted projection of the world of essences.

From Literature

Related Words

• earthly
• earthy
• mundane
• practical
• secular
• temporal