Meanings
nounhorizon (plural horizons)
plural horizons
- The visible horizontal line (in all directions) where the sky appears to meet the earth in the distance.
The sky and sea seem to merge at the horizon.
1 more example
A tall building was visible on the whole sweep of the horizon.
- figurativelyThe range or limit of one's knowledge, experience or interest; a boundary or threshold.
With clinical researchers hard at work, a new treatment is on the horizon.
4 more examples
Some students take a gap year after finishing high school to broaden their horizons.
It is because theirs has become the only explicit general philosophy of social policy held by a large group, the only system or theory which raises new problems and opens new horizons, that they have succeeded in inspiring the imagination of the intellectual.
1949, F. A. Hayek, “The Intellectuals and Socialism”, in University of Chicago Law Review, volume 16, number 3, Chicago: University of Chicago, →DOI, page 428They learn that reading, besides being something one does at school, is also something one can do on one's own, for fun, to satisfy curiosity, or even to "expand one's horizons.”
1972, Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Van Doren, How to Read a Book, →ISBN, →LCCN, page 25The Indians of the Americas totaled no less than 70 million when the foreign conquerors appeared on the horizon; a century and a half later they had been reduced to 3.5 million.
1997, Eduardo Galeano, Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent, Monthly Review Press, page 38 - The range or limit of any dimension in which one exists.
Only mortality, this irreducible and primordial horizon, that very horizon which, in Being and Time, Heidegger so compellingly revealed as the unsurpassable and defining possibility, remains.
2003, Miguel de Beistegui, Thinking with Heidegger: Displacements, →ISBN, page 157 - USarchaeologyA cultural sub-period or level within a more encompassing time period.
- board gamesThe point at which a computer chess algorithm stops searching for further moves.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe visible horizontal line (in all directions) where the sky appears to meet the earth in the distance.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet
Similar
Broader
nounthe range of interest or activity that can be anticipated
nounthe great circle on the celestial sphere whose plane passes through the sensible horizon and the center of the Earth
Similar
celestial horizon
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekὁρίζων
- Latinhorizōn
- Old Frenchorisonte
- Middle Frenchhorizon
- Middle Englishorisonte
- Englishhorizon
Inherited from Middle English orisonte, orisoun, from Middle French horizon, horizonte, from Old French orisonte, orison, via Latin horizōn, from Ancient Greek ὁρίζων (horízōn), from ὅρος (hóros, “boundary”).
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans horison
- horisonline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Ancient Greek ὁρίζων
- ὁρίζων (horízōn)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Arabic أُفُق
- أُفُق (ʔufuq)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Bengali দিগন্ত
- দিগন্ত (digonto)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Bulgarian хоризо́нт, хоризо́нт
- хоризо́нт (horizónt)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- хоризо́нт (horizónt)a specific layer of soil or strata
Catalan horitzó
- horitzóline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Chinese Mandarin 地平線 /地平线, 天際 /天际
- 地平線 /地平线 (dìpíngxiàn)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- 天際 /天际 (tiānjì)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- 天邊 /天边 (tiānbiān)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Czech obzor, horizont
- obzorline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- horizontline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Danish horisont
- horisontline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Dutch horizon, horizont
- horizonline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- horizontline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- einderline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- kimline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Esperanto horizonto
- horizontoline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Estonian silmapiir, horisont
- silmapiirline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- horisontline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Finnish horisontti, taivaanranta
- horisonttiline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- taivaanrantaline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
French horizon, ligne d'horizon
- horizonline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- ligne d'horizonline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
German Horizont, Kimm
- Horizontline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- Kimmline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Greek ορίζοντας
- ορίζοντας (orízontas)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Hawaiian pōʻailani
- pōʻailaniline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Hebrew אופק \ אֹפֶק
- אופק \ אֹפֶק (ófek)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Hindi क्षितिज, दिगंत
- क्षितिज (kṣitij)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- दिगंत (digant)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Hungarian horizont, látóhatár
- horizontline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- látóhatárline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- láthatárline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- látókörknowledge range/limit
Icelandic sjóndeildarhringur, sjónbaugur
- sjóndeildarhringurline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- sjónbaugurline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Indonesian kaki langit, cakrawala
- kaki langitline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- cakrawalaline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- horizonline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- ufukline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Irish spéire
- spéireline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Italian orizzonte
- orizzonteline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Japanese 地平線, 水平線
- 地平線 (chiheisen)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- 水平線 (suiheisen)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Korean 지평선, 수평선
- 지평선 (jipyeongseon)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- 수평선 (supyeongseon)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Latin fīniens, horizōn
- fīniensline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- horizōnline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Latvian horizonts
- horizontsline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Lithuanian horizontas
- horizontasline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Malay kaki langit, ufuk
- kaki langitline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- ufukline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- horizonline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- horizonknowledge range/limit
Māori huapae, paerangi
- huapaeline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- paerangiline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- taharangiline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- tahatū o te rangiline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- paewai o te moanaline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- tāhapatū o te rangiline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- tauriparipaline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- tāepaepatanga o te rangiline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- paewai o te rangiline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- taha o te rangiline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- paewhenualine that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Norwegian Bokmål horisont, synsrand
- horisontline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- synsrandline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Polish horyzont, widnokrąg
- horyzontline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- widnokrągline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- nieboskłonline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Portuguese horizonte
- horizonteline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Romanian orizont, zare
- orizontline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- zareline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- zarișteline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Russian горизо́нт, небоскло́н
- горизо́нт (gorizónt)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- небоскло́н (nebosklón)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- горизо́нт (gorizónt)a specific layer of soil or strata
Scottish Gaelic fàire
- fàireline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Slovak horizont, obzor
- horizontline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- obzorline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Spanish horizonte
- horizonteline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Swedish horisont
- horisontline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Tagalog abot-tanaw, kagiliran
- abot-tanawline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- kagiliranline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- kagilirana specific layer of soil or strata
Tamil கீழ்வானம், அடிவானம்
- கீழ்வானம் (kīḻvāṉam)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- அடிவானம் (aṭivāṉam)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- தொடுவான் (toṭuvāṉ)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- தொடுவானம் (toṭuvāṉam)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Thai ขอบฟ้า
- ขอบฟ้า (kɔ̀ɔp-fáa)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Turkish ufuk, ufuk çizgisi
- ufukline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- ufuk çizgisiline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Ukrainian о́брій, горизо́нт
- о́брій (óbrij)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- горизо́нт (horyzónt)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- небокра́й (nebokráj)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- небосхи́л (nebosxýl)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- о́вид (óvyd)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- видноко́ло (vydnokólo)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- виднокру́г (vydnokrúh)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- крайне́бо (krajnébo)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- кругови́д (kruhovýd)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- кругозі́р (kruhozír)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- кругогля́д (kruhohljád)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- виднокра́й (vydnokráj)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Urdu اُفُق
- اُفُق (ufuq)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Vietnamese chân trời
- chân trờiline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Welsh gorwel, gorwelion
- gorwelline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
- gorwelionline that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Yiddish האָריזאָנט
- האָריזאָנט (horizont)line that appears to separate the Earth from the sky
Cite this entry
APA
horizon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/horizon
MLA
“horizon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/horizon. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “horizon,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/horizon.
Source: horizon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.