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Synonyms

cosmonaut

American  
[koz-muh-nawt, -not] / ˈkɒz məˌnɔt, -ˌnɒt /

noun

  1. a Russian or Soviet astronaut.

cosmonaut British  
/ ˈkɒzməˌnɔːt /

noun

  1. an astronaut, esp in the former Soviet Union

"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
cosmonaut Cultural  

  1. A crew member of a space mission launched by the former Soviet Union.

Other Word Forms

  • cosmonautic adjective
  • cosmonautically adverb

Etymology

Origin of cosmonaut

1955–60; cosmo- + (aero)naut, representing Russian kosmonávt

Compare meaning

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Vocabulary lists containing cosmonaut

Elements of the Universe: Cosm, Cosmo ("Universe")

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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.

In March 1995 Valeri Polyakov, a Russian cosmonaut, returned to Earth after a record 14 consecutive months in space.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

In November, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev -- who had long been planned to be a member of Crew-12 -- was suddenly taken off the mission.

From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026

Fedyaev will make history as the first cosmonaut to fly twice on Dragon.

From Science Daily • Feb. 2, 2026

Control of the ISS has been handed over to Russian cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and two other crew members.

From BBC • Jan. 14, 2026

According to fellow cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, Valentina didn't have it easy.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson

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.