spectacular
[spek-tak-yuh-ler]
- of or like a spectacle; marked by or given to an impressive, large-scale display.
- dramatically daring or thrilling: a spectacular dive from a cliff.
Show More
- a single television production featuring well-known performers and characterized by elaborate sets, costumes, staging, etc.Compare special(def 14).
- an impressive, large-scale display: another Hollywood spectacular.
Show More
Origin of spectacular
Synonyms
See more synonyms for spectacular on Thesaurus.com2. hair-raising, dramatic, breathtaking.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for spectacular
Contemporary Examples
Most of them were large birds—hawks, egrets, and even peacocks—for spectacular visual effect as they took flight.
Today, the train chugs north out of Kanchanaburi over the famous bridge before it hits a spectacular bend in the river.
The Macallan 18 had long being a personal favorite, one of the first spectacular single malts that I ever had the chance to try.
A Whisky Connoisseur Remembers That First Sip of The MacallanDecember 10, 2014
But perhaps the most spectacular lot in the sale is a silver jug, a birthday present to Churchill from his War Cabinet in 1942.
Churchill’s Secret Treasures for Sale: A British PM’s Life on the Auction BlockTom Teodorczuk
December 8, 2014
And why did the Western Powers lose their grip in such a spectacular fashion in the decade following the end of the war?
Historical Examples
I'd like to do a spectacular refunding of what I stole and lost.
The PrisonerAlice Brown
It is not the spectacular actions of an exercise that make it the best.
I am confident it can be said that he has never in his life made a spectacular photograph.
Adventures in the ArtsMarsden Hartley
Indeed where there is evidence of the spectacular, it is often the least important part of revival.
The Calvary RoadRoy Hession
It is the spectacular which more readily appeals to the Mexican.
MexicoCharles Reginald Enock
spectacular
- of or resembling a spectacle; impressive, grand, or dramatic
- unusually marked or greata spectacular increase in spending
Show More
- a lavishly produced performance
Show More
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 spectacular
adj.
1680s, from Latin spectaculum (see spectacle). As a noun, first attested 1890. Related: Spectacularly.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper