as in pageants
an elaborate, visually exciting show or event
the over-the-top extravaganzas that are usually staged at halftime during the Super Bowl
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Recent Examples of extravaganzas
Every year, these flashy performances — from classic movie-musical extravaganzas to Disney earworms to Bond themes to power ballads — are the highlight of an already ridiculously flashy ceremony.
—
Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
Before this year's show, see some of the biggest moments from past halftime extravaganzas in the gallery above.
—Jeff Suess, Cincinnati Enquirer, 16 Jan. 2026
Netflix 'The Life of Chuck' Based on the Stephen King novella, director Mike Flanagan's supremely joyous character study – the best movie of 2025 – involves an apocalypse, multiple dance extravaganzas and a haunted attic.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 Jan. 2026
The venue is suited for musical performances from string quartets and small orchestras to vocal extravaganzas.
—News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Nov. 2025
His Christmas Eve shows were extravaganzas that involved holiday tunes and sound clips.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
Advertisers still crave the broad, simultaneous viewership such extravaganzas generate, and marketers that in the past might not have spent heavily on sports now see new reasons to do so.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025
The Sundance Film Festival, named for one of the actor’s most iconic characters, grew into a cornerstone of the film industry and eventually one of the most glitzy extravaganzas on the Hollywood social calendar, known as much for screenings as for executive deal-making and VIP parties.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 16 Sep. 2025
Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
Before this year's show, see some of the biggest moments from past halftime extravaganzas in the gallery above.
—Jeff Suess, Cincinnati Enquirer, 16 Jan. 2026
Netflix 'The Life of Chuck' Based on the Stephen King novella, director Mike Flanagan's supremely joyous character study – the best movie of 2025 – involves an apocalypse, multiple dance extravaganzas and a haunted attic.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 Jan. 2026
The venue is suited for musical performances from string quartets and small orchestras to vocal extravaganzas.
—News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Nov. 2025
His Christmas Eve shows were extravaganzas that involved holiday tunes and sound clips.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
Advertisers still crave the broad, simultaneous viewership such extravaganzas generate, and marketers that in the past might not have spent heavily on sports now see new reasons to do so.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025
The Sundance Film Festival, named for one of the actor’s most iconic characters, grew into a cornerstone of the film industry and eventually one of the most glitzy extravaganzas on the Hollywood social calendar, known as much for screenings as for executive deal-making and VIP parties.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extravaganzas
Noun
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The state and national pageants showcase the talents, brains and looks of the woman synonymous with American beauty.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The beauty queen won five pageants — Miss West Coast, Miss Nuestra Belleza USA, Miss Fresno County, Miss Regional West and Miss California Congeniality.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Guests can discover hidden details, solve creative puzzles and unlock tactile surprises hidden throughout the exhibits.—
Alyson Rodriguez,
Dallas Morning News,
25 Feb. 2026
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Angie Marchese, vice president of archives and exhibits at Graceland, came up with a few more boxes of unseen footage, a stash of Super 8 movies of Elvis that included rare footage of Elvis with his wife, Priscilla Presley, and only child, Lisa Marie Presley.—
Peter Larsen,
Daily News,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
With folkloric sounds as the backdrop and elaborate costumes worn by the performers, the spectacles tell the story of Andalucían history.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Feb. 2026
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Far from merely giving orders, directors are participants in a social reality in which the most important results aren’t the naked-eye ones of deeds achieved but the magic infinitesimal moments that expand into big-screen spectacles.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Proceeds from the evening will continue to provide the Costume Institute with its primary source of annual funding for exhibitions, publications, acquisitions and operations, alongside support for other museum activities.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
23 Feb. 2026
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There are 16 partner groups in total participating in the series of exhibitions or events for RCAF this year, according to Romo.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Each December, cities around Europe transform into twinkling holiday spectaculars, hosting Christmas markets and general cheer, where the hot cocoa flows like a river.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
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These itinerant lecturers performed experiments and spectaculars in London coffeehouses and aristocratic salons, demonstrating Newtonian physics.—
Beth DuFault,
The Conversation,
15 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Extravaganzas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extravaganzas. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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