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View synonyms for

spectacle

[ spek-tuh-kuhl ]

noun

  1. anything presented to the sight or view, especially something of a striking or impressive kind:

    The stars make a fine spectacle tonight.

    Synonyms: , , ,

  2. a public show or display, especially on a large scale:

    The coronation was a lavish spectacle.

  3. spectacles. eyeglasses, especially with pieces passing over or around the ears for holding them in place.
  4. Often spectacles.
    1. something resembling spectacles in shape or function.
    2. any of various devices suggesting spectacles, as one attached to a semaphore to display lights or different colors by colored glass.
  5. Obsolete. a spyglass.


spectacle

/ ˈɛəə /

noun

  1. a public display or performance, esp a showy or ceremonial one
  2. a thing or person seen, esp an unusual or ridiculous one

    he makes a spectacle of himself

  3. a strange or interesting object or phenomenon
  4. modifier of or relating to spectacles

    a spectacle case

“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
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Other Word Forms

  • t·· adjective
  • t·· adjective
  • p·t· noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of spectacle1

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin 𳦳峦ܱܳ “sight, spectacle,” from 𳦳() “to look at,” literally, “to look repeatedly” (from specere “to look, regard, see”) + -culum -cle 2
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Word History and Origins

Origin of spectacle1

C14: via Old French from Latin spectaculum a show, from 𳦳 to watch, from specere to look at
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. make a spectacle of oneself, to call attention to one's unseemly behavior; behave foolishly or badly in public:

    They tell me I made a spectacle of myself at the party last night.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

While carping about "the fake news media" during the White House Easter egg roll, Hegseth's whining got so pitched his voice started to crack, while his children stood behind him, embarrassed at the spectacle.

From

ever the outcome, it promises to be some spectacle.

From

In the moment, it's all too easy to rave about the spectacle and exceeded expectations.

From

The 'wall of sound' South Stand amplified the already ear-splitting pandemonium, and a sea of camera lights added to the spectacle.

From

But as a head of state and leader of more than a billion Catholics worldwide, it will still be a spectacle of ceremony and tradition.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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SPECTspectacled