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

The 30-year-old Blough will take some from Kingsbury and some from Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson, who was just starting his meteoric rise in Detroit as a quality control coach for the Lions when Blough was playing QB there. — David Aldridge, New York Times, 30 July 2026

In a meteoric rise from political unknown to the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Georgia, Rick Jackson has used his vast personal wealth to help spread his message. — Irene Wright, USA Today, 28 July 2026

The Grammy winner reflects on his upbringing, his meteoric rise to fame and a career that has included more than 20 million records sold. — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 26 July 2026

His meteoric rise at Indiana won the Hoosiers a national championship, him the Heisman Trophy, and warranted the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 24 July 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