meteoric

adjective

me·​te·​or·​ic ˌmē-tē-ˈȯr-ik 

-ˈär-

1

a

: of or relating to a meteor

b

: resembling a meteor in speed or in sudden and temporary brilliance

a meteoric rise to fame

2

: of, relating to, or derived from the earth's atmosphere

meteoric water

meteorically

ˌmē-tē-ˈȯr-i-k(ə-)lē 

-ˈär-

adverb

Examples of meteoric in a Sentence

a meteoric rise to fame

Recent Examples on the Web

Ariana Madix has had a meteoric rise as a host — one that landed her an Emmy nomination this year. — William Earl, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026

The return of the race coincided with the meteoric rise of hometown hero Max Verstappen, who won his first of four world championships in 2021 and has won the Dutch GP three times. — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026

Her death became another motivational factor in Diomandé’s meteoric rise through the sport. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

Chinese e-commerce platform Temu is seeking to support Denmark‘s startup ecosystem, two years after its meteoric rise in popularity in the Nordic country despite government warnings about the unsafe products sold on the site. — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 18 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1785, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for meteoric

• caloric
• dysphoric
• euphoric
• historic
• plethoric
• pyloric
• anaphoric
• metaphoric
• paregoric
• prehistoric
• pyrophoric
• boric

Kids Definition

meteoric

adjective

me·​te·​or·​ic ˌmēt-ē-ˈȯr-ik 

-ˈär-

1

: of or relating to a meteor

a meteoric shower

2

: resembling a meteor in speed or in sudden and temporary brilliance

a meteoric rise to fame

meteorically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb