Meanings
nounspecial effect (plural special effects)
plural special effects
- pluralusuallybroadcastingAn effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means, as for example by the digital manipulation of previously filmed footage.
So popular was trickwork and spectacle with nineteenth-century audiences, in fact, that hundreds of plays were written solely as vehicles for magic, special effects, or elaborately trapped settings.
2013, Joel Schechter, Popular Theatre: A Sourcebook, page 16
Synonyms & antonyms
Translations
Arabic عنصر الإبهار
- عنصر الإبهار (ʕunṣur-u l-ʔibhār)an effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
Catalan efecte especial
- efecte especialan effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
Chinese Mandarin 特殊效果, 特效
- 特殊效果 (tèshū xiàoguǒ)an effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
- 特效 (tèxiào)an effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
- 特技 (tèjì)an effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
Finnish erikoisefekti
- erikoisefektian effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
French effet spécial
- effet spécialan effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
German Spezialeffekt
- Spezialeffektan effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
Hebrew אפקט מיוחד
- אפקט מיוחד (efékt meyukhád)an effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
Indonesian efek khusus, efek visual
- efek khususan effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
- efek visualan effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
Japanese 特殊撮影
- 特殊撮影 (tokushu satsuei)an effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
Malay kesan istimewa, kesan khas
- kesan istimewaan effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
- kesan khasan effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
Māori ata mariko
- ata marikoan effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
Polish efekty specjalne
- efekty specjalnean effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
Portuguese efeito especial
- efeito especialan effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
Romanian efect special
- efect specialan effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
Russian спецэффе́кт
- спецэффе́кт (specɛffékt)an effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
Spanish efectos especiales
- efectos especialesan effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
Swedish specialeffekt
- specialeffektan effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
Turkish özel efekt
- özel efektan effect that cannot be reasonably achieved by normal means
Cite this entry
APA
special effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/special%20effect
MLA
“special effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/special%20effect. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “special effect,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/special%20effect.
Source: special effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.