spectaculaire
/spɛk.ta.ky.lɛʁ/
The English word spectacular is translated into French as spectaculaire.
The adjective spectaculaire is used to describe something that is amazing or worthy of special attention.
Meaning: amazing or worthy of special attention (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective spectaculaire is the same for both masculine and feminine singular nouns. To agree with a plural noun, add an 's' to form spectaculaires.
How do you pronounce it?
The word consists of 4 syllables and is pronounced /spɛk.ta.ky.lɛʁ/.
Did you know?
- While an English speaker might call a person's appearance 'spectacular', using spectaculaire for a person's look in French can sound quite odd or overly dramatic, as the word tends to describe events or phenomena rather than human beauty.
- In French, a 'spectacular' failure is often called un échec cuisant, which literally means a 'searing' or 'scorching' failure.
- French has a specific term for a 'spectacular' success that is sudden and overwhelming, called un succès fulgurant, which evokes the speed and light of a lightning bolt.
Examples in context
- Les résultats furent spectaculaires.The results were spectacular.This sentence is useful for describing results using spectaculaire.Tatoeba #2003470 by sacredceltic, translation #2002695 by Spamster
- Messi a marqué un but spectaculaire.Messi scored a spectacular goal.This sentence is useful for describing a goal using spectaculaire.Tatoeba #11803087 by lbdx, translation #6843055 by nickyeow
- Ces feux d'artifice sont spectaculaires !These fireworks are spectacular!This sentence is useful for describing fireworks using spectaculaire.Tatoeba #335159 by TRANG, translation #52018 by CK
- La performance des danseurs était époustouflante.The dancers' performance was spectacular.
- La vue depuis cette colline est impressionnante.The view from this hill is spectacular.
- Le concert était génial, les musiciens étaient incroyables !The concert was spectacular, the musicians were incredible!
- La performance de l'équipe française était formidable !The performance of the French team was spectacular!
- Le feu d'artifice était vraiment épatant !The fireworks were truly spectacular!
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are looking at a view from a mountain top.
- GabrielLa vue d'ici est vraiment spectaculaire.The view from here is truly spectacular.
- ManonC'est incroyable, Gabriel.It is incredible, Gabriel.
- GabrielTu as raison, c'est un moment unique.You are right, it is a unique moment.
- ManonJe n'ai jamais rien vu de tel.I have never seen anything like it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “spectacular” translations and entries spectaculaire, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
