celebrity
Americannoun
-
a famous or well-known person.
-
fame; renown.
- Synonyms:
- stardom, eminence, note, distinction
noun
-
a famous person
a show-business celebrity
-
fame or notoriety
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of celebrity
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin celebritās multitude, fame, festal celebration, equivalent to celebr- (stem of celeber ) often repeated, famous + -itās -ity
Explanation
A celebrity is a very famous person. If you single-handedly save an entire family from a burning building, you'll become a local celebrity. Celebrity comes directly from the Latin celebritatum, meaning famous, and is related to the verb celebrate which means to honor something with the proper ritual. We usually use celebrity now when we talk about entertainment stars, but someone doesn't have to be on the supermarket tabloids to be a celebrity. Celebrity can also be used to mean the state of fame. If you are seeking celebrity, develop a thick skin for nasty rumors.
Vocabulary lists containing celebrity
And the Oscar Goes to... Award-worthy Words
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Academy Awards, List 5
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Lesson 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A retrospective look at the aughts’ most bizarre celebrity?
From Slate • Jun. 18, 2026
Nonetheless, O’Herlihy never achieved the kind of mass recognition and celebrity enjoyed by predecessors like Frank Gehry and Thom Mayne.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
Cultural obsession with UFO conspiracies has renewed in recent years, bolstered by government initiatives and celebrity support.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026
“Don’t discount the power of the New York marketplace. We also saw the celebrity factor — it was their social event,” Mitchell said.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 16, 2026
Ever since she’d gotten her own cell phone at the start of sixth grade, she was constantly on her phone, messaging other people and checking celebrity sites.
From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
