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Stella, the Latin word for "star," shines brightly in the word constellation, but stella words have been favored by scientists to describe earthly things as much as heavenly bodies. Stellar was once used to mean "star-shaped." That use is no longer current, but today biologists and geologists might use one of these synonyms: stellular, stellate, and stelliform. Poets, too, have looked to stella. John Milton used stellar in its infancy when he wrote in Paradise Lost "these soft fires … shed down their stellar virtue." Stellar shot into its leading role as a synonym of star (as when we say "stellar pupil") in the late 1800s.
Examples of stellar in a Sentence
Shannon McMahon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 July 2026
While his stellar start last week might have been his best of the season in Triple-A, Morris had put together a solid campaign in the hitter-friendly Las Vegas Ballpark.
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Sean Campbell,
Sacbee.com,
1 July 2026
According to early fan reports, Paterson did a stellar job with Dylan, and seemed remarkably confident.
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Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
30 June 2026
Georgia Tech baseball coach James Ramsey earned more recognition for his stellar first season at the helm.
—
Fisher Isbell,
AJC.com,
30 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for stellar
Cite this Entry
“Stellar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stellar. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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stellar
adjective
