adjective
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of, formed by, or relating to meteors
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like a meteor in brilliance, speed, or transience
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rare of or relating to the weather; meteorological
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of meteoric
From the Medieval Latin word meteōricus, dating back to 1625–35. See meteor, -ic
Explanation
Because meteors move through the sky so quickly, we often refer to something moving very fast as meteoric. A newly-popular singer might be said to experience a meteoric rise to the top. (The fall can be meteoric, too.) The "-ic" suffix on a word creates an adjective meaning "with the characteristics of." So meteoric means “having the characteristics of a meteor.” Both words take their origin from the Greek meteōros, meaning "high up." By the way, a shooting star is meteoric, being a meteor that is burning up as it plunges through the earth's atmosphere.
Vocabulary lists containing meteoric
A Need for Speed: Synonyms for "Fast"
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If I Stay
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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.
The merger could finalize by early next month, capping the 43-year-old tech scion’s meteoric rise into one of Hollywood’s most influential figures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
"Be careful what you wish for," Barker said with a smile, recognizing the phrase also applies to his film's meteoric success.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
His meteoric rise has seen him perform across America and Europe, and collaborate with pop stars from Sia to Sheeran.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
June 22 turned out to be the all-time high on both the iShares semiconductor exchange-traded fund and SK Hynix, perhaps the sector bellwether after its meteoric rally of the previous year.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
Imagine what it must have been like to watch the meteoric rise of Regina and Louis Borgenicht through the eyes of one of their offspring.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
