dwarf planet

noun

A planetary (world-like) body of the Solar system, that directly orbits the Sun like the classical planets but does not gravitationally dominate other bodies in the region of its orbit.

Similar
planetoidquasi-planetsub-planet
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Meanings

noundwarf planet (plural dwarf planets)

plural dwarf planets

  1. astronomyA planetary (world-like) body of the Solar system, that directly orbits the Sun like the classical planets but does not gravitationally dominate other bodies in the region of its orbit.

    A member of the Fomor Belt, Bres is a dwarf planet with no atmosphere.

    2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Bres

    Synonyms: planetoid, quasi-planet, sub-planet

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA planetary (world-like) body of the Solar system, that directly orbits the Sun like the classical planets but does not gravitationally dominate other bodies in the region of its orbit.

Similar
planetoidquasi-planetsub-planet
Also see
ice dwarf

Origin

Coined by analogy with dwarf star, as part of a tripartite classification of planets: classical planets (the big 8 in the Sol system), satellite planets (planetary-mass moons) and dwarf planets. Redefined by the IAU in 2006 to be a category of sub-planetary objects.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans dwergplaneet
  • dwergplaneeta type of celestial body
Arabic كَوْكَب قَزَم
  • كَوْكَب قَزَم (kawkab qazam)a type of celestial body
Basque planeta ipotx, planeta nano
  • planeta ipotxa type of celestial body
  • planeta nanoa type of celestial body
Bengali বামন গ্রহ
  • বামন গ্রহ (bamon groho)a type of celestial body
Bulgarian плане́та джудже́
  • плане́та джудже́ (planéta džudžé)a type of celestial body
Catalan planeta nan
  • planeta nana type of celestial body
Chinese Cantonese 矮行星
  • 矮行星 (ai² hang⁴ sing¹, ai² haang⁴ sing¹)a type of celestial body
Chinese Mandarin 矮行星
  • 矮行星 (ǎixíngxīng)a type of celestial body
Czech trpasličí planeta
  • trpasličí planetaa type of celestial body
Danish dværgplanet
  • dværgplaneta type of celestial body
Dutch dwergplaneet
  • dwergplaneeta type of celestial body
Esperanto nanplanedo
  • nanplanedoa type of celestial body
Estonian kääbusplaneet
  • kääbusplaneeta type of celestial body
Finnish kääpiöplaneetta
  • kääpiöplaneettaa type of celestial body
French planète naine
  • planète nainea type of celestial body
German Zwergplanet
  • Zwergplaneta type of celestial body
Greek πλανήτης νάνος
  • πλανήτης νάνος (planítis nános)a type of celestial body
Hindi बौना ग्रह
  • बौना ग्रह (baunā grah)a type of celestial body
Hungarian törpebolygó
  • törpebolygóa type of celestial body
Icelandic dvergreikistjarna
  • dvergreikistjarnaa type of celestial body
Indonesian planet kerdil, planet katai
  • planet kerdila type of celestial body
  • planet kataia type of celestial body
Irish abhacphláinéad
  • abhacphláinéada type of celestial body
Italian pianeta nano
  • pianeta nanoa type of celestial body
Japanese 準惑星, 矮惑星
  • 準惑星 (junwakusei)a type of celestial body
  • 矮惑星 (waiwakusei)a type of celestial body
Korean 왜행성
  • 왜행성 (waehaengseong)a type of celestial body
Latvian pundurplanēta
  • pundurplanētaa type of celestial body
Lithuanian nykštukinė planeta
  • nykštukinė planetaa type of celestial body
Malay planet kerdil
  • planet kerdila type of celestial body
Norwegian Bokmål dvergplanet
  • dvergplaneta type of celestial body
Polish planeta karłowata
  • planeta karłowataa type of celestial body
Portuguese planeta anão
  • planeta anãoa type of celestial body
Romanian planetă pitică
  • planetă piticăa type of celestial body
Russian ка́рликовая плане́та
  • ка́рликовая плане́та (kárlikovaja planéta)a type of celestial body
Scottish Gaelic fo-phlanaid
  • fo-phlanaida type of celestial body
Slovak trpasličia planéta
  • trpasličia planétaa type of celestial body
Spanish planeta enano
  • planeta enanoa type of celestial body
Swahili sayari kibete
  • sayari kibetea type of celestial body
Swedish dvärgplanet
  • dvärgplaneta type of celestial body
Tagalog planetang unano
  • planetang unanoa type of celestial body
Thai ดาวเคราะห์แคระ
  • ดาวเคราะห์แคระ (daao-krɔ́-krɛ́)a type of celestial body
Turkish cüce gezegen
  • cüce gezegena type of celestial body
Ukrainian ка́рликова плане́та
  • ка́рликова плане́та (kárlykova planéta)a type of celestial body
Urdu بَونا سَیّارَہ
  • بَونا سَیّارَہ (baunā saiyāra)a type of celestial body
Vietnamese hành tinh lùn
  • hành tinh lùna type of celestial body
Welsh corblaned
  • corblaneda type of celestial body
Cite this entry
APA

dwarf planet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dwarf%20planet

MLA

“dwarf planet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dwarf%20planet. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dwarf planet,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dwarf%20planet.

Source: dwarf planet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.