spectacular

[spek-tak-yuh-ler]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR spectacular ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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.

noun

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.

Nearby words

Origin of spectacular

1675–85; < Latin spectācul(um) (see spectacle) + -ar¹

SYNONYMS FOR spectacular

2. hair-raising, dramatic, breathtaking.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR spectacular ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

spec·tac·u·lar·i·ty

[spek-tak-yuh-lar-i-tee] /spɛkˌtæk yəˈlær ɪ ti/, spec·tac·u·lar·ism, nounspec·tac·u·lar·ly, adverbnon·spec·tac·u·lar, adjectivenon·spec·tac·u·lar·ly, adverb

un·spec·tac·u·lar, adjectiveun·spec·tac·u·lar·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for spectacularly

So why would conservatives keep giving money to groups that are losing so spectacularly?
Right-Wing PACs' Formula: Lose Races, Rake In the Cash|Patricia Murphy|August 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But I also felt called to sound a note of caution, even at this spectacularly joyful moment.
The Battle for LGBT Equality Isn’t Over Yet|Gene Robinson|May 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lacking devoted patronage, there Telugu evolved into a spectacularly hideous argot.
India’s Newest State Telangana Is Bosnia Redux|Kranti Rai|March 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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 More|Jason Lynch|July 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Coverage of routine, predictable services is not insurance at all; it's a spectacularly inefficient prepayment plan.
Health and Human Services Secretary Doesn't Understand What Insurance Is|Megan McArdle|March 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In response to their efforts, patronage was growing, not rapidly and spectacularly, yet steadily and substantially.
Analyzing Character|Katherine M. H. Blackford and Arthur Newcomb
Since the world began, there had been few battle-fields so spectacularly laid out.
The Siege of Boston|Allen French
We will win with him in a field of ordinary nags and we will be careful not to win too far or too spectacularly.
The Pride of Palomar|Peter B. Kyne
In the Streets of New-York, he made a hit by firing a building at the spectacularly disposed audience.
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 2, April 9, 1870|Various
Obviously he had dallied with the demon and was spectacularly the worse for it.
The Native Son|Inez Haynes Irwin

British Dictionary definitions for spectacularly

spectacular

adjective

of or resembling a spectacle; impressive, grand, or dramatic

unusually marked or greata spectacular increase in spending

noun

a lavishly produced performance

Derived Formsspectacularly, 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 spectacularly

spectacular

adj.

1680s, from Latin spectaculum (see spectacle). As a noun, first attested 1890. Related: Spectacularly.

spectacular

adjective

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of spectacular

Examples from the Web for spectacularly

spectacular

adjective

noun

spectacular