Meaning & use
stellar
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparableinformalapproving
Extremely good; of outstanding quality.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: a stellar performance.
The team had a stellar season.
Her stellar grades earned her a scholarship.
The restaurant gets stellar reviews.
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
Relating to stars.
Grammar: Goes before a noun in science: stellar evolution.
Astronomers study stellar evolution.
A stellar explosion lit up the galaxy.
The telescope measured stellar brightness.
Common combinations
- stellar performance
- The actor gave a stellar performance.
- stellar cast
- The film has a stellar cast.
- stellar reputation
- The school has a stellar reputation.
- stellar evolution
- Stellar evolution takes billions of years.
Synonyms and how they differ
- outstanding
- Neutral, common, and works in formal writing.
- superb
- Stresses very high quality, often with warm praise.
- brilliant
- Suggests exceptional skill or intelligence, and is common in British speech.
- exceptional
- Emphasizes being unusual as well as good.
Opposites
Word family
- star noun
- a bright object in the sky or a famous person
- interstellar adjective
- between stars
Commonly confused: stellar or stealer?
stellar vs stealer
Not related; stellar is pronounced STEL-er.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'stellar' in its astronomical sense?
Choose one answer.
Stellar motion refers to the movement of stars. The other sentences use stellar figuratively to mean excellent.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stellar”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.