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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 That use is no longer current, but today biologists and geologists might use one of these synonyms: stellular, stellate, and stelliform.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
Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025
As breathtaking as the night sky is, there's no denying that actually tracking down stellar objects, whether for observation or astrophotography, can take some work.
—Chris McMullen, Space.com, 28 Nov. 2025
Act fast to snag these stellar Black Friday sales while discounts last.
—Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025
Zootopia 2 has won over critics and audiences alike, between glowing reviews and stellar exits, including an A CinemaScore and a 95 percent audience ranking on Rotten Tomatoes.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 27 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Stellar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stellar. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
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stellar
adjective
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