sublunary
Syllables: sub·lun·a·ry/sʌbˈluːnəɹi/US/sʌbˈlunəɹi/
sublunary adjective: situated beneath the moon; specifically, between the moon and the earth.
Adjective
sublunary (not comparable)
- Situated beneath the moon; specifically, between the moon and the earth.
- Patritius [Franciscus Patricius?] doth not onely auerre this, but that the Sea is as a ſublunarie Planet, mouing it ſelfe, and moued by the ſuperiour bodies to effect the generation of things: […]1614, Samuel Purchas, “[Asia.] A Generall Discourse of the Sea, and of the Seas in and about Asia.”, in Purchas His Pilgrimage. Or Relations of the World and the Religions Observed in All Ages and...
- They [devils] are confined vntill the day of iudgement, to this ſublunary vvorld, and can vvorke no farther then the foure Elements, and as God permits them. VVherefore of theſe ſublunary Diuels, Pſellus [Michael Psellos] makes ſix kindes, fiery, aeriall, terreſtriall, vvatery, and ſubterranean...1621, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “A Digression of Divels, and How They Cause Melancholy”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy, […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and Iames...
- Antonyms:
- superlunary, superlunar, translunar, translunary
- In or of this world (as opposed to heaven, etc.); earthly, terrestrial.
- Dull ſublunary lovers love / (VVhoſe ſoule is ſenſe) cannot admit / Abſence, becauſe it doth remove / Thoſe things vvhich elemented it.1611 or 1612 (date written), J[ohn] Donne, “A Valediction Forbidding Mourning”, in Poems, […] with Elegies on the Authors Death, London: […] M[iles] F[lesher] for Iohn Marriot, […], published 1633...
- Philoſophers that opinioned the vvorlds deſtruction by fire, did never dreame of annihilation, vvhich is beyond the povver of ſublunary cauſes; for the laſt and proper action of that element [fire] is but vitrification, or a reduction of a body into Glaſſe, and therefore ſome of our Chymicks...1642, [Thomas Browne], “[The First Part]”, in Religio Medici, London: […] Andrew Crooke, →OCLC, page 97
- Antonyms:
- celestial, ethereal, heavenly, otherworldly, unworldly
- Of or relating to the material world (as opposed to clerical, sacred, or spiritual); ephemeral, temporal, worldly.
- Whither now, O whither do ye rove, O my thoughts? Can ye hope to find rest, in any of these sublunary contentments?1648, Joseph Hall, “The Breathings of the Devout Soul”, in Josiah Pratt, editor, The Works of the Right Reverend Father in God, Joseph Hall, D.D. […], volume VI (Devotional Works), London: […]...
- And chace vve ſtill the Phantom thro' the Fire, / O'er Bog, and Brake, and Precipice, till Death? / And toil vve ſtill for ſublunary Pay?1744, [Edward Young], “Night the Sixth. The Infidel Reclaim’d. In Two Parts. Containing, the Nature, Proof, and Importance of Immortality. Part the First. […]”, in The Complaint: Or, Night-Thoughts...
- Inferior, subordinate.
- For Simonie doth vſually poyſon and corrupt tvvo VVell-heads, vvhence the ſtreames of good life doe generally flovv vnto all the people; that is, the Parſon, and the Patron. Theſe be, as the tvvo great Lights in the Firmament of the Church, from vvhom the ſublunary and ſubordinate people receiue...1624, Henry Burton, “Of the Miserable Fruits and Effects of Simonie”, in A Censure of Simonie. Or A Most Important Case of Conscience Concerning Simonie […], London: […] William Stansby, for Edmund...
Noun
sublunary (plural sublunaries)
- A person or thing which is of the (material) world.
- She vvas ſoaring upvvard to her native ſkies. She vvas got above earth, by means, too, of the Earth-born: And ſomething extraordinary vvas to be done to keep her vvith us Sublunaries.1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter LVIII. Mr. Lovelace, to John Belford, Esq.”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume III, London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by John...
- A less important person; an inferior, a subordinate.
Examples of sublunary in a sentence
- They [devils] are confined vntill the day of iudgement, to this ſublunary vvorld, and can vvorke no farther then the foure Elements, and as God permits them.1621, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “A Digression of Divels, and How They Cause Melancholy”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy...
- Ye Sublunary VVorlds avvake, avvake, / Ye Rulers of the Nations hear and ſhake?1713, Edward Young, “Book I”, in A Poem on the Last Day, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Edward Whistler, →OCLC, page 6:
- All Sublunary Things are contemptible, and of no Value.(Can we date this quote?), “Contemplations of the State of Man”, in Reginald Heber, editor, The Whole Works of the Right Rev. Jeremy...
- OVID had vvarn'd her to bevvare, / Of Stroling God's, vvhoſe uſual Trade is, / Under pretence of Taking Air, / To Pick up Sublunary Ladies.1709 (date written), [Jonathan Swift], “Apollo Outwitted. […]”, in Miscellanies in Prose and Verse, volume I, London: […] John Morphew […]...
Synonyms of sublunary
Antonyms
Forms of sublunary
| plural | sublunaries |
|---|
Origin of sublunary
PIE word *upó The adjective is a learned borrowing from Late Latin sublūnāris (“sublunar, sublunary”) + English -ary (suffix meaning of or pertaining to forming adjectives). Sublūnāris is derived from Latin sub- (prefix meaning ‘below, beneath, under’) + lūnāris (“of or pertaining to the moon, lunar”) (from lūna (“moon”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (“bright; to see; to shine”)) + -āris (suffix forming adjectives denoting a pertaining to or relationship)). By surface analysis, sub- + lunary. The noun is derived from the adjective.
Words formed from sublunary
Phrases with sublunary
Questions about sublunary
- What does sublunary mean?
- Sublunary means situated beneath the moon; specifically, between the moon and the earth.
- How do you use sublunary in a sentence?
- They [devils] are confined vntill the day of iudgement, to this ſublunary vvorld, and can vvorke no farther then the foure Elements, and as God permits them.
- What part of speech is sublunary?
- Sublunary can be an adjective or a noun.
- How do you pronounce sublunary?
- Sublunary is pronounced /sʌbˈluːnəɹi/ (UK).
Words near sublunary in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: sublunary (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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