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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 That use is no longer current, but today biologists and geologists might use one of these synonyms: stellular, stellate, and stelliform.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
Paul Sutter, Space.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Raytheon, also known as RTX, builds missile warning sensors, ground control software (with a not-so-stellar recent track record), and manufactures small satellites through its subsidiary, Blue Canyon Technologies.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2026
Amazon’s sale section is bursting with stellar deals this weekend — and these budget-friendly picks are no exception.
—Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Nick Penicaud was stellar for the Red and Black (7-2), too, going all six innings with three hits, one walk and five strikeouts.
—Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Stellar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stellar. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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stellar
adjective
