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You've read about funeral pyres, and you may even have survived a pyromaniac ("insane fire-starting") stage in your youth, so you might have guessed that pyr means "fire" in Greek. Pyrotechnic refers literally to fireworks, but always seems to be used for something else—something just as exciting, explosive, dazzling, sparkling, or brilliant. The performances of sports stars and dancers are often described as pyrotechnic, and a critic may describe the pyrotechnics of a rock guitarist's licks or a film's camerawork. A pyrotechnic performance is always impressive, but the word occasionally suggests something more like "flashy" or "flamboyant".
Examples of pyrotechnic in a Sentence
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
Just like last weekend’s pyrotechnic display set to music above English Bay, Phil Parkinson’s side were in sparkling form as Premier League duo Chelsea and Bournemouth were held to creditable draws and Vancouver Whitecaps were thrashed 4-1 in front of a record attendance in the MLS era at BC Place.
—Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 1 Aug. 2024
Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
The production wasn't kinder to Margaret Hamilton, who played the Wicked Witch of the West and endured severe burns during a pyrotechnics mishap.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pyrotechnic 
Dictionary Entries Near pyrotechnic
Cite this Entry
“Pyrotechnic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pyrotechnic. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
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