stellar
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
relating to the stars in the sky.
pertaining to, consisting of, or characteristic of stars.
Simple“The telescope allowed the scientists to study stellar evolution in distant galaxies.”
In context“The observatory's new spectrograph provides unprecedented detail regarding the stellar composition of clusters located at the edge of the Milky Way.”
UsageIn this sense, the word is non-gradable and typically appears before the noun.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
exceptionally good or outstanding.
exceptionally good; outstanding or featuring a high level of performance.
Simple“The young actress gave a stellar performance in her first major film.”
In context“Despite the economic downturn, the company reported stellar profits thanks to a series of strategic acquisitions in the tech sector.”
Teacher's tipThis is a very common way to praise a professional or artistic achievement in modern English.
Synonyms
“Kane, the England captain, won the award after a stellar season in which he won the Bundesliga and German Cup while Bayern also reached the Champions League semi-finals.”
“Scientists discovered these growing stars can keep pulling in gas and dust for millions of years, extending an important stage of stellar development.”
Borrowed from Latin stēllāris.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.