Word.ws English Dictionary

spectacles

Syllables: spec·ta·cles/ˈspɛktəkl̩z/

spectacles is the plural of spectacle.

Noun

spectacles pl (plural only, attributive spectacle)

  1. (plural, plural-only) A pair of lenses set in a frame worn on the nose and ears in order to correct deficiencies in eyesight or to ornament the face.
    • He needed to get new spectacles because his original ones had broken.
  2. (plural, plural-only, slang) Synonym of pair (“score of zero runs in both innings”).
    Synonyms:
    pair

Meaning of spectacle

Noun

spectacle (plural spectacles)

  1. (countable) An exciting or extraordinary scene, exhibition, performance etc.
    • The horse race was a thrilling spectacle.
    Synonyms:
    pageant, show
  2. (uncountable) Drama and excitement in a display, product, performance, exhibition, etc.
    • I enjoyed her presentation, but it needs more spectacle.
  3. (countable) An embarrassing or unedifying scene or situation.
    • He made a spectacle out of himself.
  4. (countable) The brille of a snake.
  5. (countable) A frame with different coloured lenses on a semaphore signal through which light from a lamp shines at night, often a part of the signal arm.

Synonyms of spectacles

Forms of spectacles

attributivespectacle

Words formed from spectacles

Phrases with spectacles

Questions about spectacles

What does spectacles mean?
Spectacles means a pair of lenses set in a frame worn on the nose and ears in order to correct deficiencies in eyesight or to ornament the face.
What is spectacles the plural of?
Spectacles is the plural of spectacle.
What part of speech is spectacles?
Spectacles is a noun.
How do you pronounce spectacles?
Spectacles is pronounced /ˈspɛktəkl̩z/.

Words near spectacles in the dictionary

  1. spectacleless
  2. spectaclelike
  3. spectaclemaker
  4. spectaclemakers
  5. spectaclemaking
  6. spectacles
  7. spectacles, testicles, wallet and watch
  8. spectacles, testicles, wallet, watch
  9. spectacular
  10. spectacular mark
  11. spectacular marks

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: spectacles (page history and authors); spectacle (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-spectacles.ogg.

Cite this entry: “spectacles.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/spectacles. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.