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.
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- 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.
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Origin of spectacular
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
notablyinfamouslyspectacularlyextraordinarilybeautifullyremarkablymarvelouslymagnificentlyadmirablyamazinglystrikinglystunninglyespeciallyegotisticallyostentatiouslyproudlyarrogantlyboastfullybombasticallyconceitedlyExamples from the Web for spectacularly
Contemporary Examples
So why would conservatives keep giving money to groups that are losing so spectacularly?
But I also felt called to sound a note of caution, even at this spectacularly joyful moment.
Lacking devoted patronage, there Telugu evolved into a spectacularly hideous argot.
The best new show of the year, which ended as spectacularly as it began, was unable to crack a well-established drama field.
Emmy Nomination Surprises and Snubs: ‘House of Cards,’ ‘Orphan Black,’ and MoreJason Lynch
July 18, 2013
Coverage of routine, predictable services is not insurance at all; it's a spectacularly inefficient prepayment plan.
Historical Examples
He is also as Wolff says spectacularly courageous but easily discouraged.
Essays on the Greek RomancesElizabeth Hazelton Haight
Obviously he had dallied with the demon and was spectacularly the worse for it.
The Native SonInez Haynes Irwin
Since the world began, there had been few battle-fields so spectacularly laid out.
The Siege of BostonAllen French
They deserve to become better known, however, especially Lourdat, one of the most spectacularly endowed chteau ruins extant.
Castles and Chateaux of Old Navarre and the Basque ProvincesFrancis Miltoun
In the Streets of New-York, he made a hit by firing a building at the spectacularly disposed audience.
spectacular
- of or resembling a spectacle; impressive, grand, or dramatic
- unusually marked or greata spectacular increase in spending
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- a lavishly produced performance
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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 spectacularly
spectacular
adj.
1680s, from Latin spectaculum (see spectacle). As a noun, first attested 1890. Related: Spectacularly.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper