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meteoric

[mee-tee-awr-ik, -or-]
adjective
  1. of, relating to, or consisting of meteors.
  2. resembling a meteor in transient brilliance, suddenness of appearance, swiftness, etc.: his meteoric rise in politics.
  3. of or coming from the atmosphere; meteorological.
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Origin of meteoric

From the Medieval Latin word meteōricus, dating back to 1625–35. See meteor, -ic
Related formsme·te·or·i·cal·ly, adverbnon·me·te·or·ic, adjectivenon·me·te·or·i·cal·ly, adverb
Can be confusedmeteor meteoric meteorite meteoroid
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for meteorically

Historical Examples

  • He was progressing, though not so meteorically as Bauer and Schabelitz had predicted.

    Fanny Herself

    Edna Ferber

  • Her bearing was that of a barbaric princess, and a princess of meteorically vivid beauty.

    A Pagan of the Hills

    Charles Neville Buck

British Dictionary definitions for meteorically

meteoric

adjective
  1. of, formed by, or relating to meteors
  2. like a meteor in brilliance, speed, or transience
  3. rare of or relating to the weather; meteorological
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Derived Formsmeteorically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for meteorically

meteoric

adj.

1812, "pertaining to meteors;" earlier "dependent on atmospheric conditions" (1789), from meteor + -ic. Figurative sense of "transiently brilliant" is from 1836.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper