spectacular

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin spectaculum (“a sight, show”) + -ar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spɛkˈtæk.jʊ.lə/
• IPA^(key): /spɛkˈtæk.jə.lɚ/
• Rhymes: -ækjələ(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: spec‧tac‧u‧lar

Adjective

spectacular (comparative more spectacular, superlative most spectacular)

1. Amazing or worthy of special notice.

   The parachutists were spectacular.

2. (dated) Related to, or having the character of, a spectacle or entertainment.

   the merely spectacular

   • 1681, George Hickes, “A Sermon Preached before the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens of London”:

     The like clamour, and outcry, the Rabble of the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles made againſt Polycarp Biſhop of Smyrna, at the time of his Martyrdom. crying out againſt him to the Governour, that he ſhould caſt him to the Lyons, and when he anſwered them he could not, becauſe the Spectacular ſports were concluded, then they cry’d out, Burn him, burn him, juſt as the Jews cryed out againſt Chriſt to Pilate, Crucify him, crucify him.
3. Relating to spectacles, or glasses for the eyes.

Derived terms

• spectacularly
• unspectacular

Related terms

• spectacle
• species
• speculate

Translations

amazing or worthy of special attention

• Bengali: অলৌকিক (bn) (ôloukik)
• Catalan: espectacular
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 引人入勝的／引人入胜的, 引人入胜的 (jan⁵ jan⁴ jap⁶ sing³)

  Mandarin: 引人入勝的／引人入胜的 (zh), 引人入胜的 (zh) (yǐnrénrùshèng de), 壯觀／壮观 (zh) (zhuàngguān), 壮观 (zh) (zhuàngguān), 引人注意的 (zh) (yǐnrénzhùyì de)

• French: spectaculaire (fr)
• Galician: espectacular (gl) m or f
• German: spektakulär (de)
• Greek: θεαματικός (el) (theamatikós)
• Hungarian: látványos (hu)
• Japanese: 華華しい (はなばなしい, hanabanashii), 壮大な (ja) (そうだいな, sōdai na), 壮観な (ja) (そうかんな, sōkan na)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: 눈부신 (nunbusin)
• Manx: ard-hilleydagh
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: spektakulær

  Nynorsk: spektakulær

• Portuguese: espetacular (pt)
• Romanian: spectaculos (ro), spectacular (ro), de spectacol
• Russian: эффе́ктный (ru) (efféktnyj), импоза́нтный (ru) (impozántnyj), я́ркий (ru) (járkij), увлека́тельный (ru) (uvlekátelʹnyj), захва́тывающий (ru) (zaxvátyvajuščij)
• Spanish: espectacular (es)
• Swedish: spektakulär (sv)
• Vietnamese: ngoạn mục (vi)

related to, or having the character of, a spectacle or entertainment

• Russian: зре́лищный (ru) (zréliščnyj)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Further reading

• “spectacular”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “spectacular”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Noun

spectacular (plural spectaculars)

1. A spectacular display.
   • 2010, "Under the volcano", The Economist, 16 Oct 2010:

     Though business has more or less held up so far, a series of drug-related spectaculars sparked an exodus of the city's upper class this summer.