[kibibu]

> people often misunderstand its meaning

Semantics drift over time. Whether we like it or not, spectacular and awesome both mean something different today than they did 100 years ago. It's hard to argue that "spectacular" doesn't have a positive connotation today.

[ceejayoz]

If I tell you you "made a spectacle of yourself", is that praise?

[kibibu]

I'll note only that "spectacle" and "spectacular" are different words and can diverge in meaning, in much the same way as "fantasy" and "fantastic".

[ceejayoz]

I’ll note that “spectacular” regularly describes shitty things.

Like 9/11, by a national news outlet: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/09/10/september-1...

[kibibu]

Sure, 25 years ago

[BizyDev]

Would you say that 9/11 was "spectacular" ?

[ceejayoz]

Sure.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/09/10/september-1...

"These ‘gut-wrenching, scary, spectacular’ photos capture 9/11’s trauma"

https://www.chicagotribune.com/1991/03/10/us-to-iraq-no-pois...

"Given a long, slow flyover of Kuwait City and its environs by his Air Force pilots, Baker saw firsthand the awesome destruction allied and Iraqi forces unleashed on the emirate, sweeping past scores of scorched Iraqi tanks and the hundreds of burning oil wells that blackened large portions of the afternoon sky."