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You've read about funeral pyres, and you may even have survived a pyromaniac ("insane fire-starting") stage in your youth, so you might have guessed that pyr means "fire" in Greek. Pyrotechnic refers literally to fireworks, but always seems to be used for something else—something just as exciting, explosive, dazzling, sparkling, or brilliant. The performances of sports stars and dancers are often described as pyrotechnic, and a critic may describe the pyrotechnics of a rock guitarist's licks or a film's camerawork. A pyrotechnic performance is always impressive, but the word occasionally suggests something more like "flashy" or "flamboyant".

Examples of pyrotechnic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective For many, it’s being drawn to writers whose prose is pyrotechnic. — Brendan O'meara, Longreads, 6 Apr. 2022 Achieving that involves a lot more than just music, though, and Baker is a careful student of the pyrotechnic theater of it all. — Meaghan Garvey, Billboard, 23 Mar. 2022 Choose one that isn’t overly sweet for a gently pyrotechnic burst of citrus to set the heart racing. — Aleksandra Crapanzano, WSJ, 2 Feb. 2022 The famous black writer had built a reputation for pyrotechnic readings that sometimes included slideshows of brutalized slave bodies and sometimes involved moan-singing. — Longreads, 19 Jan. 2022 Holding out Greene as some kind of free-speech martyr because her personal Twitter account was shuttered is as fanciful and absurd as one of those pyrotechnic Jewish lasers. — Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2022 Avant Gardner, which is located in East Williamsburg’s industrial district, boasts a KV2 sound system, three-dimensional video projection mapping technology, laser displays and pyrotechnic capabilities. — Lisa Kocay, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2021 The demonstration was largely peaceful, but police reported that some protesters threw pyrotechnic objects. — Compiled Democrat-gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 5 Dec. 2021 It’s instead a pyrotechnic mashup of sci-fi, noir, comedy, horror, action, jazz, and so much more. — Graham Hacia, Wired, 10 Nov. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun When lighting fireworks, adults should clear the range and make sure the pyrotechnic is not pointing at someone or being thrown in the direction of a person. — Clara Longo De Freitas, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 1 July 2021 But the spectacular pyrotechnic and LED light display can be seen from other vantage points in the city. — Linda Kessler, Dallas News, 28 Dec. 2020 If the district attorney pursues the case, the person who ignited the pyrotechnic would be the person charged, Milloy explained. — Sarah Moon And Hollie Silverman, CNN, 8 Sep. 2020 In body camera footage released by state police, at least one pyrotechnic is seen flying well over troopers' heads. — Rebekah Riess And Jason Hanna, CNN, 27 June 2020 Now, the next generations of family members operate Garden State Fireworks, which manufactures pyrotechnics for Walt Disney World and other places. — Gabrielle Russon, orlandosentinel.com, 2 Aug. 2018 While parked in a driveway, a short in the rear power inverter triggered a pyrotechnic fuse, which prevented an even worse outcome. — Dave Vanderwerp, Car and Driver, 16 Apr. 2020 And with Australia’s fire season rapidly worsening, as humans pump heat-trapping carbon into the atmosphere at a rate not seen in the last 66 million years, the next pyrotechnic assault could arrive long before that. — Maddie Stone, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2020 And indeed, after the world's unhappiest retiree bid adieu, pyrotechnics blew a hole in the pilot's canopy. — Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 13 Apr. 2020 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pyrotechnic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.