What does "supernova" mean?

A powerful and bright explosion of a massive star, which afterwards becomes a neutron star or a black hole, or is destroyed.

How do you pronounce "supernova"?

Pronounced //ˌsuː.pə(ɹ)ˈnəʊ.və//.

Supernova

Q: What is a synonym for "supernova"?

Common synonyms include: absolute magnitude, beehive, binary star, black hole, cepheid variable, double star.

//ˌsuː.pə(ɹ)ˈnəʊ.və// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
A powerful and bright explosion of a massive star, which afterwards becomes a neutron star or a black hole, or is destroyed.
2
a star that explodes and becomes extremely luminous in the process wordnet
3
Something brilliant. figuratively
"Cornelius was the only one dressed in muscle but collectively they were a bully supernova."

Synonyms

All synonyms

absolute magnitude beehive binary star black hole cepheid variable double star

Example

More examples

"In large size stars, nuclear fusion will continue until iron is formed. In stars, iron acts like an energy sponge. It soaks up the star's energy. This energy is eventually released in a big explosion called a supernova."

Etymology

From super- + nova.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.