tragically, a shoulder injury cut short the pitching career of one of baseball's brightest supernovas
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'supernova.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
A nova, despite its name, isn't actually a "new" star, but rather one that wasn't noticed until it exploded, when it may increase in brightness by a million times before returning to its previous state a few days later. A supernova is far larger; a star in its supernova state may emit a billion times as much light as previously. After a few weeks it begins to dim, until it eventually ceases to exist; it's often replaced by a black hole. (Though remains that were shot out into space may survive; those of a great supernova seen in A.D. 1054 are now known as the Crab Nebula.) All this may serve as a warning to those human stars whose fame explodes too rapidly; supernovas of this kind have sometimes vanished by the following year.
See words that rhyme with supernova Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for supernova Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about supernova
What made you want to look up supernova? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
The Exceptions Quiz III
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZTest Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
