meteoric

[mee-tee-awr-ik, -or-]

adjective

of, relating to, or consisting of meteors.

resembling a meteor in transient brilliance, suddenness of appearance, swiftness, etc.: his meteoric rise in politics.

of or coming from the atmosphere; meteorological.

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for meteorically

Historical Examples of meteorically

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

of, formed by, or relating to meteors

like a meteor in brilliance, speed, or transience

rare of or relating to the weather; meteorological

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.