spectacular en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /spɛkˈtæk.jə.lɚ/ (General-American)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /spɛkˈtæk.jʊ.lə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From Latin spectaculum (“a sight, show”) + -ar.
Meanings
-
Amazing or worthy of special notice.
A branch of rail transport that seems to been rather neglected by historians is that concerned with cliff railways, of which a fair number exist in Great Britain. This is probably because these lines are overshadowed by the more spectacular funicular railways in Switzerland and other mountainous regions; perhaps, too, because of the general habit of referring to them as "cliff lifts," which tends to associate them with the vertical indoor type.
1951 August, P. W. Gentry, “Cliff Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 514:The parachutists were spectacular.
Between 8 and 9 p.m., the recorder at a meteorological station at Harrow, Middlesex, picked up 1,470 lightning flashes within a radius of 10 to 15 miles, and observers at the station described the storm as "probably one of the most spectacular of the century."
1958 November 14, “Storm Damage in the Home Counties”, in Railway Magazine, page 746:
-
(dated) Related to, or having the character of, a spectacle or entertainment.
One of the more striking facets of these accounts of the Hell's Angels is the extent to which the defiant homosexual behavior they describe—especially the spectacular same-sex kissing—so closely mirrors the behavior of young women in the early twenty-first century.
2015, Jane Ward, Not Gay, New York University Press, →ISBN, page 70:the merely spectacular
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.
1681, George Hickes, A Sermon Preached before the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens of London:Those apparently insignificant events which really make history are seldom featured in the press; the merely spectacular too frequently crowds the essential out of the public sheets.
1910 August 21, Andre Tridon, “Europe Flirts with Argentina to Win Her Rich Trade”, in The New York Times:
- Relating to spectacles, or glasses for the eyes.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most spectacular | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more spectacular | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
spooktacular · Howell's spectacular thelypody · spectacular rustgill · spectabulous · sextacular · spectacularity · spectacularism · speckie · spectacularize · spectacularness · spectacular mark · shitacular · nonspectacular · superspectacular · spectacularly · unspectacular
Relateds
species · speculate · spectacle
Translations (42)
ca espectacular (amazing or worthy of special attention) · fi viihdyttävä (related to, or having the character of, a spectacle or entertainment) · sv spektakulär (amazing or worthy of special attention) · cmn 引人注意的 (amazing or worthy of special attention) · ru захва́тывающий (amazing or worthy of special attention) · ru я́ркий (amazing or worthy of special attention) · ko 눈부신 (amazing or worthy of special attention) · ru эффе́ктный (amazing or worthy of special attention) · ja 壮大な (amazing or worthy of special attention) · nl spectaculair (amazing or worthy of special attention) · nb spektakulær (amazing or worthy of special attention) · kk сәулетті (amazing or worthy of special attention) · fi loistava (amazing or worthy of special attention) · fi näyttävä (related to, or having the character of, a spectacle or entertainment) · bg зрелищен (amazing or worthy of special attention) · kk тамаша (amazing or worthy of special attention) · ja 華華しい (amazing or worthy of special attention) · ro de spectacol (amazing or worthy of special attention) · kk салтанатты (amazing or worthy of special attention) · de spektakulär (amazing or worthy of special attention) · yue 引人入勝的 /引人入胜的 (amazing or worthy of special attention) · ro spectacular (amazing or worthy of special attention) · vi ngoạn mục (amazing or worthy of special attention) · fr spectaculaire (amazing or worthy of special attention) · es espectacular (amazing or worthy of special attention) · gl espectacular (amazing or worthy of special attention) · cmn 壯觀 /壮观 (amazing or worthy of special attention) · hu látványos (amazing or worthy of special attention) · nn spektakulær (amazing or worthy of special attention) · ro spectaculos (amazing or worthy of special attention) · el θεαματικός (amazing or worthy of special attention) · ru зре́лищный (related to, or having the character of, a spectacle or entertainment) · tr muhteşem (amazing or worthy of special attention) · fi mahtava (amazing or worthy of special attention) · gv ard-hilleydagh (amazing or worthy of special attention) · fi loistelias (amazing or worthy of special attention) · ru импоза́нтный (amazing or worthy of special attention) · pt espetacular (amazing or worthy of special attention) · ja 壮観な (amazing or worthy of special attention) · ru увлека́тельный (amazing or worthy of special attention) · bn অলৌকিক (amazing or worthy of special attention) · cmn 引人入勝的 /引人入胜的 (amazing or worthy of special attention)