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spectacular

[spek-tak-yuh-ler]

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. 13).

an impressive, large-scale display: another Hollywood spectacular.

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Spectacular is always a great word to know.

So is interrobang. Does it mean:

a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.

a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.

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

Related forms

spec·tac·u·lar·i·ty

[spek-tak-yuh-lar-i-tee] , spec·tac·u·lar·ism, noun

spec·tac·u·lar·ly, adverb

non·spec·tac·u·lar, adjective

non·spec·tac·u·lar·ly, adverb

un·spec·tac·u·lar, adjective

EXPAND

un·spec·tac·u·lar·ly, adverb

COLLAPSE

Synonyms
2. hair-raising, dramatic, breathtaking.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To spectacular

Example Sentences

It has come at the expense of more established stars, and it has been routinely spectacular.

Our students' spectacular hunger for life makes them radically vulnerable.

And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability.

EXPAND

It has come at the expense of more established stars, and it has been routinely spectacular.

Our students' spectacular hunger for life makes them radically vulnerable.

And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability.

Zoom in on a spectacular bird photo to reveal hundreds more photos making up the original.

Rare electric-blue clouds on the edge of space have been putting on a spectacular light-show this week.

When the lights finally came on, it was spectacular.

Some spectacular salad combinations lurk in this lineup.

If you buy this spectacular set of colored pencils, you won't actually need to draw anything.

Vance and the spectacular botch that his office has made of this case.

Located beside the lake for which the city is named, the campus is spectacular and visitors marvel at its beauty.

Officials have been claiming a spectacular success, but persuading citizens to share their joy is proving another matter.

Some of the park's sea cliffs also feature spectacular waterfalls.

Herschel has carried out the first test observations with all its instruments, with spectacular results.

Desert wind took care of the rest, hollowing out cliff-side caves until breaking through to create spectacular arches.

Grown for spectacular flowers, which bear a startling resemblance to the heads of crested tropical birds.

The impression that homes are spectacular investments probably stemmed, in part, from money illusion.

They are spectacular phenomena even by the inflated standards of astronomy.

One need not travel halfway around the world to find a landscape that is both spectacular and serene.

Saturn is famous for the spectacular collection of rings that encircle it.

Slightly saline, the lake is punctuated by spectacular tufa formations.

Where to go and what to see in the land of big trees and spectacular mountain scenery more.

Maybe your record isn't as spectacular as you think it is, and you are an average applicant.

But spectacular as it is to behold, locals wonder what it is for.

The demise of the sun in five billion years will be a spectacular sight.

We used a mixture of spring blossoms from our garden to create this spectacular salad.

So more spectacular increases seem all too plausible.

Scientists have spotted the wreckage from a spectacular collision between two planets deep in space.

Follow the steps below to create your own spectacular arrangement.

And it is expecting a giddy few decades of spectacular growth fuelled by the exploitation of its mineral riches.

Unless it was partially formed by plant roots and that would really be a spectacular find.

Husky, rather coarse plant with velvety green leaves, spectacular gaudy flowers.

Until a decade ago, the world's second-biggest economy was regarded as a spectacular success by other industrial countries.

One of the brightest stellar explosions ever observed blows apart current theories on how stars die a spectacular death.

Spectacular one-day outings to celebrate the greenest, breeziest month more.

Specific problems were replaced by general theories, with spectacular success.

The phenominal progress in many fromts is spectacular.

Facebook's spectacular growth has relied on it being the cool place to be, the place where your friends are hanging out.

But for the remainder of this year, growth is not likely to match the spectacular pace seen in the first three months.

While taking photos of this spectacular site some of the.

China's spectacular feathered fossils have finally answered the century-old question about the ancestors of today's birds.

Spectacular one-day outings to celebrate the greenest, breeziest month.

Death by vacuum is not spectacular or instantaneous, unless the subject tries to hold his breath.

The lake, on a sunny and cloudless day, is a spectacular hue of blue that.

Every room is designed to offer our guests spectacular views of the bay.

Thank you for bringing this spectacular place to us.

Where to go and what to see in the land of big trees and spectacular mountain scenery.

If you have ever ollied down a big flight of steps and had the skateboard snap when you land, you'll know it's pretty spectacular.

McDaniel has a solid but not spectacular academic reputation.

Despite-or perhaps because of-its spectacular growth, the world economy has rarely looked so out of kilter with historical norms.

Recent ocean expeditions have uncovered some of the world's smallest species-in spectacular abundance.

Follow our guide for amazing hikes and spectacular views more.

Last night's audio-visual spectacular was arguably the party of the year.

All of us are not spectacular but neither are all traditional colleges either.

But hubris was followed by nemesis, as a frothy boom turned into a spectacular bust:.

Their combined light creates spectacular evening shows.

The possibility of making a spectacular discovery is always a possibility when engaging in any scientific research.

Inside and out, the building is a spectacular public gesture of cultural homage.

Marx was a hypocrite whose theories failed in about as hideously spectacular a way as can be imagined.

But if the building is less than spectacular in the skyline, it comes to life when it hits the ground.

Peschak of manta rays as they converge to feed in a spectacular coral-reef ballet.

But a succession of less spectacular failures over the years has raised concern among the country's bridge engineers.

As this spectacular video points out, people who work with the fascinating metal must choose their fire extinguishers carefully.

Such wrangles are everything in a city that is fast becoming recognised for its spectacular schemes to put up new towers.

X-ray astronomy is giving us spectacular vision of an explosive and turbulent universe.

Had they a dirty bomb or the capability of carrying out another spectacular attack, they would have attempted a strike.

The sun does a great job of illuminating the net tooa spectacular photo.

With morning comes a conclusive and spectacular answer.

There's no danger from an object this size, but the burn-up could be spectacular for those who witness.

The area is known around the world for its blue waters and spectacular waterfalls.

Giant white asparagus tied with string on a silver platter lie below vases filled with spectacular flower arrangements.

Instead she has produced a spectacular and enjoyable display of intellectual fireworks for the general reader.

The ash drifted around the globe, causing spectacular sunsets and halo effects around the moon and sun.

Follow our guide for amazing hikes and spectacular views.

Suddenly, his spectacular career has come to a crashing end.

Spring and summer wildflowers make spectacular displays.

Downtown is best explored on foot, especially now, when fall color shows up in spectacular splashes.

The resultant bickering and low morale do not mean that al-Qaeda and its followers cannot still mount spectacular attacks.

Send us your photos and a brief description of why it was so spectacular.

The timber-frame arbor shown at left covers an outlying patio on the same property, and it is truly spectacular in the daylight.

Breeding season initiates a spectacular sequence of aerial acrobatics.

In cold-winter climates, spectacular fall color ranging from yellow and orange to deep red and scarlet add to my plant list.

After its spectacular crash, the telecoms industry is still picking itself off the floor.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

spectacular (spɛkˈtækjʊlə)

—*adj*
1.	of or resembling a spectacle; impressive, grand, or dramatic
2.	unusually marked or great: a spectacular increase in spending

—n
3.	a lavishly produced performance

spec'tacularly

—*adv*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

spectacular

1680s, from L. spectaculum (see spectacle). As a noun, first attested 1890.

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"After my spectacular failures, I could not be satisfied with an ordinary success."

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