noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˈspɛktəkl̩/
UK:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:S P EH1 K T AH0 K AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
An exciting or extraordinary scene, exhibition, performance etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
The horse race was a thrilling spectacle.
22 March 2012, Scott Tobias, AV Club The Hunger Gameshttp://www.avclub.com/articles/the-hunger-games,71293/ In movie terms, it suggests Paul Verhoeven in Robocop/Starship Troopers mode, an R-rated bloodbath where the grim spectacle of children murdering each other on television is bread-and-circuses for the age of reality TV, enforced by a totalitarian regime to keep the masses at bay.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
An embarrassing or unedifying scene or situation.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
He made a spectacle out of himself.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Attributive form of spectacles.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: attributive, form-of
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
The brille of a snake.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
A frame with different coloured lenses on a semaphore signal through which light from a lamp shines at night, often a part of the signal arm.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: rail-transport, railways, transport
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
a blunder that makes you look ridiculous; used in the phrase `make a spectacle of' yourself
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
something or someone seen (especially a notable or unusual sight)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the tragic spectacle of cripples trying to escape
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: sight
History
Etymology
From Middle English spectacle, from Middle French spectacle, from Latin spectāculum (“a show, spectacle”), from spectō (“to see, behold”), frequentative of speciō (“to see”). See species. Doublet of spectaculum.
Across languages
Translations
77 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
مَشْهَد
(mašhad)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Arabic:
مَسْرَحِيَّة
(masraḥiyya)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Azerbaijani:
tamaşa
— something exciting or extraordinary
Bashkir:
тамаша
(tamaşa)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Belarusian:
відо́вішча
(vidóvišča)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Belarusian:
спекта́кль
(spjektáklʹ)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Bhojpuri:
तमासा
(tamāsā)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Bulgarian:
зре́лище
(zrélište)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Bulgarian:
спекта́къл
(spektákǎl)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Catalan:
espectacle
— something exciting or extraordinary
Chinese Mandarin:
奇觀 /奇观
(qíguān)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Czech:
podívaná
— something exciting or extraordinary
Danish:
skue
— something exciting or extraordinary
Dutch:
spektakel
— something exciting or extraordinary
Esperanto:
spektaklo
— something exciting or extraordinary
Finnish:
näytelmä
— something exciting or extraordinary
Finnish:
näky
— something exciting or extraordinary
Finnish:
spektaakkeli
— something exciting or extraordinary
French:
spectacle
— something exciting or extraordinary
Galician:
espectáculo
— something exciting or extraordinary
German:
Spektakel
— something exciting or extraordinary
German:
Schauspiel
— something exciting or extraordinary
Greek:
θέαμα
(théama)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Ancient Greek:
θέαμα
(théama)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Hungarian:
látvány
— something exciting or extraordinary
Hungarian:
látnivaló
— something exciting or extraordinary
Hungarian:
látványosság
— something exciting or extraordinary
Italian:
spettacolo
— something exciting or extraordinary
Japanese:
壮観
(sōkan)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Japanese:
光景
(kōkei)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Japanese:
スペクタクル
(supekutakuru)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Kazakh:
көрініс
(körınıs)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Korean:
광경
(gwanggyeong)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Korean:
스펙터클
(seupekteokeul)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Kyrgyz:
көрүнүш
(körünüş)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Latin:
spectāculum
— something exciting or extraordinary
Latvian:
izstāde
— something exciting or extraordinary
Latvian:
ekspozīcija
— something exciting or extraordinary
Norwegian Bokmål:
skue
— something exciting or extraordinary
Iranian Persian:
مَنْظَرِه
(manzare)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Iranian Persian:
تَماشا
(tamâšâ)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Iranian Persian:
نَمایِش
(namâyeš)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Polish:
widowisko
— something exciting or extraordinary
Polish:
spektakl
— something exciting or extraordinary
Portuguese:
espetáculo
— something exciting or extraordinary
Portuguese:
show
— something exciting or extraordinary
Portuguese:
mostra
— something exciting or extraordinary
Punjabi:
ਤਮਾਸ਼ਾ
(tamāśā)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Romanian:
spectacol
— something exciting or extraordinary
Russian:
зре́лище
(zrélišče)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Russian:
спекта́кль
(spektáklʹ)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Russian:
представле́ние
(predstavlénije)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Slovak:
podívaná
— something exciting or extraordinary
Spanish:
espectáculo
— something exciting or extraordinary
Swedish:
spektakel
— something exciting or extraordinary
Swedish:
syn
— something exciting or extraordinary
Tajik:
манзара
(manzara)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Tajik:
тамошо
(tamošo)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Tajik:
намоиш
(namoyiš)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Turkish:
manzara
— something exciting or extraordinary
Turkish:
temaşa
— something exciting or extraordinary
Turkmen:
tomaşa
— something exciting or extraordinary
Ukrainian:
видо́вище
(vydóvyšče)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Ukrainian:
видо́висько
(vydóvysʹko)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Ukrainian:
спекта́кль
(spektáklʹ)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Uyghur:
تاماشا
(tamasha)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Uyghur:
كۆرۈنۈش
(körünüsh)
— something exciting or extraordinary
Uzbek:
tomosha
— something exciting or extraordinary
Uzbek:
manzara
— something exciting or extraordinary
Uzbek:
koʻrinish
— something exciting or extraordinary
Finnish:
näytös
— an embarrassing situation
Portuguese:
espectáculo
— an embarrassing situation
