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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
Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 17 Mar. 2025
In 2003, a fire killed 100 people attending a Great White concert in the Rhode Island venue Station after a pyrotechnic display ignited foam lining the club’s walls.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2025
Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2025
For a Chiefs regular-season game, for instance, the pyrotechnics crew typically would have 1,200 pieces ready to fire off.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pyrotechnic
Cite this Entry
“Pyrotechnic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pyrotechnic. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.
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