stellar

adjective

stel·​lar ˈste-lər 

1

a

: of or relating to the stars : astral

b

: composed of stars

2

: of or relating to a theatrical or film star

stellar names

3

a

: principal, leading

a stellar role

b

: outstanding

a stellar performance

Did you know?

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 That use is no longer current, but today biologists and geologists might use one of these synonyms: stellular, stellate, and stelliform.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.

Synonyms of stellar

• celestial
• interstellar
• star
• starry

Examples of stellar in a Sentence

the rate of stellar expansion

The movie has a stellar cast.

Recent Examples on the Web

Devers-San Francisco Giants-Age 29 A natural third baseman, and not a stellar one at that, Devers was converted to play first base when he was traded by the Red Sox to the Giants. — Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026

While Heim and Butler performed well, the rest of the A’s struggled mightily against Red Sox starter Patrick Sandoval, who fanned seven in five innings, and a stellar Boston bullpen effort that surrendered no runs in five innings. — Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 30 July 2026

Stafford, who led the league with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdown passes last season, found wide receiver Puka Nacua for a pair of deep connections, one of which was a stellar one-handed grab in traffic. — Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 28 July 2026

As the defense adjusts to its new look at the offense looks to remain consistent after a stellar 2025 season, the goal will be to carry over what the team accomplished as a unit in the offseason program. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin stellaris, from Latin stella star — more at star

First Known Use

circa 1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing stellar

• quasi-stellar object
• stellar wind
• sub-stellar

Rhymes for stellar

• beller
• cellar
• dweller
• eller
• feller
• meller
• sellar
• seller
• sheller
• speller
• bestseller
• bookseller

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Kids Definition

stellar

adjective

stel·​lar ˈstel-ər 

1

: of or relating to the stars

stellar light

2

a

: principal entry 1, leading

a stellar role

b

: outstanding sense 3

a stellar performance