celebrity
Americannoun
-
celebrities
plural
-
a famous or well-known person.
-
fame; renown.
- Synonyms:
- stardom, eminence, note, distinction
noun
-
a famous person
a show-business celebrity
-
fame or notoriety
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of celebrity
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin celebritās multitude, fame, festal celebration, equivalent to celebr- (stem of celeber ) often repeated, famous + -itās -ity
Explanation
A celebrity is a very famous person. If you single-handedly save an entire family from a burning building, you'll become a local celebrity. Celebrity comes directly from the Latin celebritatum, meaning famous, and is related to the verb celebrate which means to honor something with the proper ritual. We usually use celebrity now when we talk about entertainment stars, but someone doesn't have to be on the supermarket tabloids to be a celebrity. Celebrity can also be used to mean the state of fame. If you are seeking celebrity, develop a thick skin for nasty rumors.
Vocabulary lists containing celebrity
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Academy Awards, List 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"Politicians are dressing for two jobs at once: to look capable of holding office but to also look connected to the people they want to represent," said Joe Zee, a celebrity fashion stylist.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
Roxy, 33, had been rooting for comedian and faithful Joanne McNally in the latest celebrity series, before she was banished by her fellow faithful on Thursday.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
On a recent morning, the actress sports an extra-blond mini-ponytail and carries a mug with a cartoon sun on it, a friendly but perpetually multitasking celebrity whose staff keeps her on schedule.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
The current tallest building in West Hollywood is the 31-story Sierra Towers, a luxury condominium building on the city’s western border with Beverly Hills dating to the 1960s that has long been a celebrity haunt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Beecher kept his position at Plymouth Congregational Church and continued his life as a celebrity preacher.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
We knew all along who the traitors were, but here's the moment the contestants revealed their allegiances to their fellow celebrities.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
The freewheeling discussions on rewatch podcasts also align with how younger consumers prefer to see their favorite celebrities presented — authentic, unvarnished and free of the restraint of public relations handlers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
The cast members have become niche celebrities across romantasy, the literary genre blending romance and fantasy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
The company highlighted its “cult status” in an earnings presentation, with a slide showing multiple articles from People magazine on celebrities who enjoy Cheesecake fare.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
People just liked Hassan, the way people like fast food and celebrities.
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
