Know your English | What does ‘stellar’ mean? Premium

Explore the meanings and usage of "stellar" and "jaw-dropping," while discussing capability and personal experiences in conversation.

“There you are! Were you out of town last weekend? I didn’t see you at all. Did you…”

“No, I was very much here last weekend. Didn’t step out of the house, though. I was watching the Australian Open! After Alcaraz’s stellar performance in the semi-final, I just had to keep…”

“What performance?”

“Stellar. S…t…e…l…l...a…r. The first syllable rhymes with ‘tell’, ‘spell’ and ‘shell’. The word is pronounced ‘STELL-e’ with the stress on the first syllable.”

“I see! But what does the word mean?”

“The word literally means ‘like a star’. Here, we’re talking about the stars that we see in the night sky. When used with people, ‘stellar’ means ‘excellent’ or ‘extremely high standard’. For example, the movie that I saw yesterday had a stellar star cast.”