Astrology

 Vocabulary List Number 406 v.0.7 with 15 entries in 2 chapters conformed by 10 definitions, 3 synonyms and 2 examples. Updated at June 10, 2026.

        1. Main Definition

1. 
   Britannica: astrology |n| type of divination that involves the forecasting of earthly and human
   events through the observation and interpretation of the fixed stars, the Sun, the Moon, and the planets. Adherents believe that an understanding of the influence of the planets and stars on earthly affairs allows them to predict, explain, and affect the fates of individuals, groups, and nations. Often regarded as a science throughout its history, astrology is widely considered today to be a pseudoscience that is diametrically opposed to the findings and theories of modern Western science. Yet around the globe millions of people, to varying degrees, put their faith in such systems as the zodiac in the West, the Chinese zodiac in East Asia, and Hindu astrology in South Asia, which give believers both a sense of fateful dependence and the potential to alter fate. (From Brinnica. May 22, 2025.)
2. Cambridge: astrology |n| the study of the movements and positions of the sun, moon, planets, and stars in the belief that they affect the character and lives of people. Unlike astronomy, astrology cannot be described as an exact science. In astrology, a person's personality is supposed to relate to which star sign they were born under. (From the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press.). May 13, 2025.)
3. Cambridge A.L.A.: astrology |n| the ancient practice of studying the movements and positions of the sun, moon, planets, and stars in the belief that they influence human behavior. (From the Cambridge Advanced Learner's American Dictionary © Cambridge University Press. May 13, 2025).
4. Collins: astrology / stargazing / astromancy / horoscopy |n| the study of the movements of the planets, sun, moon, and stars in the belief that these movements can have an influence on people's lives. (From Collins Dictionary. May 22, 2026.)
5. Google IA: astrology |n| is the study of the supposed influence that the positions and movements of celestial bodies—stars, sun, moon, and planets—have on human affairs and terrestrial events. It is a system of divination often used to interpret character, personality, and predict future events based on the zodiac at the time of birth. (From Google IA. May 12, 2036.)
6. Longman: astrology |n| |uncountable| the study of the positions and movements of the stars and how they might influence people and events. (From Longman Dictionary. May 17, 2025.)
7. Merriam Webster: astrology |n| the divination of the supposed influences of the stars and planets on human affairs and terrestrial events by their positions and aspects. (From Merriam Webster. May 15, 2026.)
8. Oxford: astrology |n| the study of the positions of the stars and the movements of the planets in the belief that they influence human affairs. (From Oxford Learners Dictionary. May 23, 2026.)
9. Reverso: astrology |n| (belief system) study of celestial bodies' influence on human lives. (From Reverso Dictionary. June 10, 2026.)
10. Wikipedia: astrology |n| is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Different cultures have employed forms of astrology since at least the 2nd millennium BCE, these practices having originated in calendrical systems used to predict seasonal shifts and to interpret celestial cycles as signs of divine communications. Most, if not all, cultures have attached importance to what they observed in the sky, and some—such as the Hindus, Chinese, and the Maya—developed elaborate systems for predicting terrestrial events from celestial observations. Western astrology, one of the oldest astrological systems still in use, can trace its roots to 19th–17th century BCE Mesopotamia, from where it spread to Ancient Greece, Rome, the Islamic world, and eventually Central and Western Europe. Contemporary Western astrology is often associated with systems of horoscopes that purport to explain aspects of a person's personality and predict significant events in their lives based on the positions of celestial objects; the majority of professional astrologers rely on such systems. Throughout its history, astrology has had its detractors, competitors and skeptics who opposed it for moral, religious, political, and empirical reasons. Nonetheless, prior to the Enlightenment, astrology was generally considered a scholarly tradition and was common in learned circles, often in close relation with astronomy, meteorology, medicine, and alchemy. It was present in political circles and is mentioned in various works of literature, from Dante Alighieri and Geoffrey Chaucer to William Shakespeare, Lope de Vega, and Pedro Calderón de la Barca. During the Enlightenment, however, astrology lost its status as an area of legitimate scholarly pursuit. Since the end of the 19th century and the wide-scale adoption of the scientific method, researchers have successfully challenged astrology on both theoretical[16][17] and experimental grounds[18][19] and have shown it to have no scientific validity or explanatory power. Astrology thus lost its academic and theoretical standing in the western world, and common belief in it largely declined, until a continuing resurgence starting in the 1960s. (From Wikipedia. June 10, 2026.)

     2. Examples 

1. "I read the horoscopes for fun but I don’t really believe in astrology." (From Oxford Learners Dictionary. May 23, 2026.)
2. "Many people read their horoscopes to learn about astrology." (From Reverso Dictionary. June 10, 2026.)