Craptacular

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. something that epitomizes poor quality while being amusingly exaggerated an experience that is both disappointingly substandard and humorously exaggerated a performance or event that is remarkably terrible yet strangely entertaining
2. Describing an event or item that is notably awful but presented with humor or exaggeration
3. Referring to a situation or performance that is remarkably poor yet has an entertaining or comical aspect

Etymology: "Craptacular" is a blend of "crap" and "-tacular," the second piece borrowed from "spectacular." The "-tacular" ending comes from "spectacular," and it became a playful suffix in American English, so that words like "craptacular" read as "spectacularly" something, usually for comic effect. The adjective pairs the vulgar sense of "crap" with that showy, over-the-top ending, which is why it means something both awful and funny. "Crap" itself has a surprisingly long lineage. It traces back to Old Dutch "krappon," meaning to pluck or gather, and passed through Old French "crappe" and Middle French "crape," a word for chaff or husks left after threshing. Middle English took it up as "crappe," and English speakers later narrowed it to refuse and then to worthless rubbish. So the first ingredient of "craptacular" is a word for leftover waste from grain, not something originally crude.

Synonyms: terrible, awful, dreadful

Antonyms: fantastic, wonderful, spectacular