celebrity

noun

ce·​leb·​ri·​ty sə-ˈle-brə-tē How to pronounce celebrity (audio)
plural celebrities
Synonyms of celebrity
1
: the state of being celebrated : fame
The actress lived a life of celebrity.
2
: a famous or celebrated person
Many celebrities attended the awards ceremony.

Synonyms of celebrity

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of celebrity in a Sentence

The actress lived a life of celebrity. There were many celebrities at the party.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The celebrities sucked up a lot of air, and so the show leaned in, switching to all-celebrity casts. — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026 Would any celebrities feel comfortable voting Queen Camilla off? — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026 There are few celebrity beauty signatures quite as enduring as Ariana Grande’s sky-high ponytail. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026 Crumbl has reached customers by embracing third-party delivery and establishing celebrity partnerships with big names, including Kendall Jenner and Olivia Rodrigo. — Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for celebrity

Word History

Etymology

Middle English celebrite "fame, renown," borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French celebrité, borrowed from Latin celebritāt-, celebritās "busy or crowded conditions, reputation, fame," from celebr-, celeber "much used, frequented, widely known, famed" + -itāt-, -itās -ity — more at celebrate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of celebrity was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing celebrity

Browse Nearby Words

celebrious
celebrity
celebrityhood
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Celebrity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/celebrity. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

celebrity

noun
ce·​leb·​ri·​ty sə-ˈleb-rət-ē How to pronounce celebrity (audio)
plural celebrities
1
: the state of being celebrated : fame
his short-lived celebrity
2
: a famous or celebrated person
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All