spectacle
Americannoun
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anything presented to the sight or view, especially something of a striking or impressive kind.
The stars make a fine spectacle tonight.
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a public show or display, especially on a large scale.
The coronation was a lavish spectacle.
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spectacles. eyeglasses, especially with pieces passing over or around the ears for holding them in place.
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Often spectacles.
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something resembling spectacles in shape or function.
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any of various devices suggesting spectacles, as one attached to a semaphore to display lights or different colors by colored glass.
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Obsolete. a spyglass.
idioms
noun
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a public display or performance, esp a showy or ceremonial one
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a thing or person seen, esp an unusual or ridiculous one
he makes a spectacle of himself
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a strange or interesting object or phenomenon
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(modifier) of or relating to spectacles
a spectacle case
Other Word Forms
- spectacleless adjective
- spectaclelike adjective
- superspectacle noun
Etymology
Origin of spectacle
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin spectāculum “sight, spectacle,” from spectā(re) “to look at,” literally, “to look repeatedly” (from specere “to look, regard, see”) + -culum -cle 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Supporters of the development say it generates jobs and tax revenue, while conservationists fear the developments may stifle the very spectacle hundreds of thousands of tourists visit to see each year.
Marking the third full Moon of 2026, this display will be a double spectacle for lucky sky watchers in parts of the Americas, Asia, and Australia as it coincides with a rare total lunar eclipse.
From BBC
They added: "We witness first-hand the medical challenges that these children and their families endure, which makes the portrayal of conjoined twins as a form of entertainment or spectacle especially problematic."
From BBC
The way the authorities are applying the law is also troubling: a made-for-TV spectacle of half a dozen police vehicles descending on the former prince’s home.
The crowd may also be less tense due to the likelihood of more neutrals buying tickets for an Olympic spectacle, rather than a potential grudge match.
From BBC
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.
