spec ‧ ta ‧ cle /ˈspektək ə l/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: Latin spectaculum , from spectare ; ⇨ ↑ spectator ]
1 . a very impressive show or scene:
a multimedia dance and opera spectacle
2 . [usually singular] an unusual or interesting thing or situation that you see or notice – used especially in order to show disapproval:
The trial was turned into a public spectacle.
spectacle of
the spectacle of drunken young men on the streets
3 .
spectacles [plural] formal old-fashioned glasses that help you see
4 . make a spectacle of yourself to behave in an embarrassing way that is likely to make other people notice you and laugh at you
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THESAURUS
■ something that you see
▪ sight something that you see:
A herd of elephants is a magnificent sight.
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Even Charles cheered up at the sight of the food.
▪ view the area you can see from a window or place, especially when it is beautiful:
The view from the top of the mountain is amazing.
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The hotel has great views of Lake Windermere.
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We had a good view of the firework display.
▪ panorama an impressive view of a very large area that stretches a long way across in front of you:
a panorama of snow-covered hills and mountains
▪ vista written a view of a large area of beautiful scenery – used in written descriptions:
The road around the island offers some spectacular vistas.
▪ scene what you see in a place, especially where people are moving around and doing things:
Reporters described the horrific scenes which followed the bombing.
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His pictures are mainly of local scenes.
▪ spectacle something that you see that is very unusual, surprising, or strange:
It must have been an unusual spectacle.
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I leaned over the balcony to get a look at the spectacle below.
▪ visuals [plural] pictures or parts of a film, video etc that people can see, as opposed to the parts you can hear:
Good visuals will help keep your audience’s attention.