Words / B2

spek-TAK-y-uh-l-uh/spekˈtækjələ/

Spectacular means very impressive to look at; dramatic: a spectacular graph; a spectacular view. Impressive is cooler; dramatic stresses impact. A spectacular graph still needs labels. Mix-up: spectacle is a show or glasses in old use (already elsewhere); spectator is a watcher (next entry). Do not call a tidy bar chart spectacular without cause.

Meaning

Very impressive to look at; dramatic.

Examples

• “A spectacular graph still needs labelled axes and a source.”
• “A spectacular sunset closed the fieldwork day, which is the view sense.”

Good to know

a spectacular + noun; spectacularly. Cooler: impressive. Trap: spectacle / spectator. News, art, and data. Impressive to see, not a person watching.

Near in meaning

impressive

New