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celebrity

celebrity

480 2.3
A famous person who many people know and is often an actor or sports player
  • noun
  • /səˈlɛbrɪti/
translation icon : celebridad
  • Broadcast by radio stations around the country, the PSAs featured celebrity musicians speaking out for music education.
  • paparazzi following celebrities
  • photograph celebrities
  • become a celebrity

So it wasn't me trying to find some celebrity to sell my show to.

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Examples

  • On my channel I am joined by celebrity makeup God Sir John.

  • This is a victory for any celebrity who wants to make a quality action figure.

  • Did you know we have a celebrity here, Miss Thomas?

  • One of the celebrity judges for the sing off.

  • These are successful people, entrepreneurs, celebrities, athletes, people like that.

  • Please welcome friend of the show and celebrity hair stylist Chris Appleton.

  • Once someone becomes a celebrity, he or she forfeits privacy forever, Howe says.

    Academic text (2013)
  • When a celebrity appears, problems often arise as paparazzi try to photograph celebrities in stores.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Annie Garrett is the pen name of a celebrity journalist who writes for Entertainment.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Many fans gathered outside the theater to catch a glimpse of their favorite celebrity.

Synonyms

star
vscelebrity
1.1

A very famous and admired performer like an actor or musician

is aimed specifically at those known through entertainment or sporting fame
superstar
vscelebrity
187 2.8

A very famous and successful person in entertainment or sports

is similar but used for generally famous people, not only top-level fame
movie star
vscelebrity
172 1.0

A famous actor who plays leading parts in films

is broader, applying to well known figures across entertainment and sport
personality
vscelebrity
  • Literature
136 3.7

A famous person from TV, radio, or public life

is aimed at people famous broadly in entertainment or sports rather than niche fame
rock star
vscelebrity
123 3.1

A famous musician who plays rock music and attracts many fans

is the general label for widely recognized people in entertainment or sport
supermodel
vscelebrity
90 3.4

A very famous person who shows clothes in magazines and fashion shows

is broader, including fame from many entertainment or sports roles
public figure
vscelebrity
51 3.5

A person who is well known to many people, for example a celebrity or politician

is narrower, stressing fame especially in entertainment or sports
famous person
vscelebrity
50 1.0

A person many people know because of their achievements

is focused especially on fame in entertainment or sport rather than any field
celeb
vscelebrity
  • Slang
33 6.6

A famous person often from movies, music, or sports

is the neutral general term for widely recognized public figures
TV star
vscelebrity
26 1.5

A person who is famous for appearing on TV shows as an actor or presenter

is the wider term for people known across entertainment and sports
film star
vscelebrity
16 2.3

A famous actor or actress who plays lead roles in movies

covers famous people in entertainment and sport more broadly, not only films
television star
vscelebrity
5 1.8

A famous actor or presenter who appears often on TV

is broader, not limited to those famous through regular broadcast work
notable
vscelebrity
5 4.1

A person who is well known and admired

focuses more on public recognition from entertainment or sporting success
media darling
vscelebrity
  • Literature
3 4.8

A person who gets a lot of good attention from the news media

is the general well known status, not focused on media praise level
toast of the town
vscelebrity
  • Informal
3 6.3

A person many people in a town or local area admire and like

is the wider, enduring recognition that applies across wider public spheres
megastar
vscelebrity
3.8

A person or thing that is very famous and successful, often in entertainment

describes widely known persons but without implying the highest level of fame
web celeb
vscelebrity
  • Slang
5.9

A person who is famous because they post on the internet

is the traditional public recognition that often comes from entertainment or sport

Antonyms

629 2.3

Not known or named, often with no name given

5 2.0

A person or thing that is not special

Compounds

celebrity scandal
  • Literature
1 3.4

A public event where a famous person does something shocking that many people talk about

A famous person's handwritten name kept as a souvenir

How Famous

superstar
187 2.8
celebrity
480 2.3
star
1.1
unknown
629 2.3

Surface Forms

celebrity singular
celebrities plural

Morphology

celebrity = celebrate (semi-transparent) = celebr + ity

Formed by a suffixation from 'celebrate' meaning 'to be celebrated'; the noun meaning 'famous person' involves a sense extension from the state to the person, which is not fully direct for all learners.

Etymology

Celebrity comes from the old Latin word celebrare, which means 'to celebrate' or 'to honor'. So a celebrity is someone many people celebrate and know.