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meteoric

meteoric

9 7.2
A very quick, impressive rise that often ends soon
  • adjective
  • /mɪˈtɪərɪk/
translation icon : meteórico
  • Sam's meteoric success continued in 2015 when he scooped two BRITs plus a Billboard Music Award for top male artist.
  • meteoric rise
  • meteoric career

And so the initial progress tends to be meteoric, but after that tends to be incremental.

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Examples

  • Little: Well, I think it would be fair to describe it as a meteoric rise, yes.

    Blog text (4)
  • His meteoric rise to stardom surprised everyone in the industry.

  • Is it possible to have meteoric success and enjoy it, be happy, be healthy in your mind?

  • Your rise has been meteoric, yet you have no formal training.

  • Driven by demons that seemed more personal than political, his rise was meteoric.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Prince Philip's meteoric rise in the Royal Navy continued when he was appointed commander in 1952.

  • Third reason is he has been there at the beginning and throughout the meteoric rise of the video game live streaming community in some mainstream circles.

  • Her acceptance in 1882 marked the beginning of her meteoric career as a salon painter.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The episode is a strange twist in D'Souza's otherwise meteoric rise in the evangelical world.

    Blog text (29)
  • Welby's appointment as the 105th archbishop of Canterbury caps a meteoric ascent through the Church.

    Blog text (22)

Antonyms

1.0

Moving or happening at a low speed

75 3.0

Happening slowly and steadily, not suddenly

How Rapid

explosive
233 4.6
meteoric
9 7.2
rapid
295 1.3
swift
118 1.4
quick
183 1.0

Surface Forms

meteoric positive

Morphology

meteoric = meteor (semi-transparent) = meteor + ic

Formed from 'meteor' + '-ic' but the sense is a metaphorical extension ('like a meteor' = very rapid and brief), so meaning is not strictly literal though still related.

Etymology

A helpful way to remember meteoric is to think of a meteor or 'shooting star' that flashes very brightly and then is gone, so a 'meteoric' rise or success is very fast and brilliant but often short-lived.