celebrity

noun

sə-ˈle-brə-tē How to pronounce celebrity (audio)
Definition of celebritynext
1
as in star
a person who is widely known and usually much talked about celebrities from sports and entertainment attended the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fame
the fact or state of being known to the public an actor who reportedly feels very uncomfortable with his celebrity

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of celebrity These videos are easier to make than deepfakes of other celebrities, since the hosts speak directly to the camera. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026 Audible looked at over 500 narrators for the new Harry Potter audiobooks, including celebrities. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 Ramon Hervey helped engineer the careers of many celebrities. — Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026 People pay attention to even the smallest details about celebrities. — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for celebrity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for celebrity
  1. star
  2. fame
  3. personality
  4. notoriety
  5. celeb
  6. renown
Noun
  • Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, Jack White, every living president, Jane Fonda, and countless more have all mourned the beloved star.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The late star had also been a co-owner of Sandollar Productions alongside her former manager, Sandy Gallin, which produced Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Father of the Bride and Sabrina, among others.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of star
Noun
  • Vozinha shot to global fame overnight, with his social media following skyrocketing from around 50,000 before the match to over 13 million today.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • On the last night of crooner Harry Belafonte’s weeklong run in Miami Beach in 1967, at the height of his fame, the stage crew and hotel general manager played a prank.
    — Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of fame
Noun
  • Of course, Sophie-Rose and her friend Garrett (social-media personality Jake Shane) have no reason to care about Billie at all.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The media personality recently shared an Instagram Reel promoting her podcast interview with author Virginia Evans (The Correspondent) while wearing a striped button-up blouse.
    — Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of personality
Noun
  • Her notoriety and the public’s fascination with the case, some historians have argued, led to Borden’s acquittal.
    — Addie Morfoot, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Clancy’s is not the first case of a mother accused of killing her children to gain such notoriety.
    — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of notoriety
Noun
  • Below, look back at celeb couples who broke up, reunited and are still going strong.
    — Grace Gavilanes, PEOPLE, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Lavandeira also defended her brother, who in the early aughts burst onto the internet’s celebrity culture and gossip scene with shocking headlines and often lewd doodles over celeb images.
    — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of celeb
Noun
  • Despite her worldwide renown, Dolly Parton resisted award recognition several times in her prolific career.
    — Melina Khan, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Bell’s tenure leading the institute included the museum’s 2014 expansion and relocation to UConn’s main campus in Storrs — and its increasing renown within and beyond the professional theater world.
    — Tran Chau, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of renown

Browse Nearby Words

celebrities
celebrity
celebs
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Celebrity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/celebrity. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All