What does "trajectory" mean?
The path an object takes as it moves.
Trajectory
/tɹəˈd͡ʒɛktəɹi/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The path an object takes as it moves.
- Grammar: trajectory is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: air lane, airburst, altitude peak, aphelion.
- Useful contrasts: decline, no motion, stagnation.
- Usage evidence: Just when she said "Ooh, what a beautiful star," a star fell across the sky and a blue light quickly fainted in a diagonal trajectory, dragging behind a faint tail.
How to use "trajectory"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "trajectory" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "trajectory" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "trajectory" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "trajectory" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "trajectory" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "air lane" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "trajectory", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The path an object takes as it moves.
"The USA were dominant but, to England’s immense credit, they repeatedly rallied, refusing to fold. Indeed they could conceivably have gone in level at the interval had Naeher not made an acrobatic, stretching, fingertip save to divert Walsh’s 25-yard thunderbolt as it whizzed unerringly on its apparently inexorable trajectory towards the top corner."
- 2 the path followed by an object moving through space wordnet
- 3 The path of a body as it travels through space.
- 4 The ordered set of intermediate states assumed by a dynamical system as a result of time evolution.
- 5 A course of development, such as that of a war or career. figuratively
"It is likely that the long evolutionary trajectory of Mycoplasma went from a reductive autotroph to oxidative heterotroph to a cell-wall–defective degenerate parasite. This evolutionary trajectory assumes the simplicity to complexity route of biogenesis, a point of view that is not universally accepted."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Just when she said "Ooh, what a beautiful star," a star fell across the sky and a blue light quickly fainted in a diagonal trajectory, dragging behind a faint tail."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "trajectory"?
Common synonyms include: air lane, airburst, altitude peak, aphelion, apogee, astronomical longitude.
How do you use "trajectory" in a sentence?
Just when she said "Ooh, what a beautiful star," a star fell across the sky and a blue light quickly fainted in a diagonal trajectory, dragging behind a faint tail.
How do you pronounce "trajectory"?
Pronounced /tɹəˈd͡ʒɛktəɹi/.
Etymology
From New Latin trāiectōria f (“trajectory”) (used by Newton), the feminine of trāiectōrius (“of or pertaining to throwing across”), from Latin trāiectus (“thrown over or across”), past participle of trāiciō, from trans- (“across, beyond”) (see trans-) + iaciō (“to throw”) (from Proto-Indo-European *(H)yeh₁- (“to throw, impel”)). Middle French and Middle English had trajectorie (“end of a funnel”), from Latin trāiectōrium.