grandeur

noun

gran·​deur ˈgran-jər 

-ˌju̇r, 

-ˌd(y)u̇r, 

-d(y)ər

1

: the quality or state of being grand : magnificence

… the glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome.

—Edgar Allan Poe

2

: an instance or example of grandeur

visited the awesome grandeurs of the American West

Synonyms of grandeur

• majesty
• brilliance
• elegance
• glory
• nobility
• magnificence

Examples of grandeur in a Sentence

His paintings capture the beauty and grandeur of the landscape.

They are restoring the hotel to its original grandeur.

Recent Examples on the Web

Like, for example, John Cassavetes’s A Woman Under the Influence has tremendous grandeur. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026

Repent and repair Rather than browbeating people into repentance, the Ne’ilah service’s strategy is to boost them up into it, playing upon the biblical idea of the grandeur of humanity. — Reuven Kimelman, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026

The apartment is tucked inside a 1925 neo-Renaissance building designed by Harvey Wiley Corbett, with a prewar grandeur that feels like catnip for a man with a penchant for cigars and dirty vodka martinis. — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 17 Sep. 2026

Tolstoy saw everything and had the grandeur of vision to be able to render it in one totally absorbing novel. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 15 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from Old French, from grand

First Known Use

1632, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for grandeur

• amour
• hauteur
• velour
• voyeur
• doer
• poor
• poore
• raconteur

Kids Definition

grandeur

noun

gran·​deur ˈgran-jər 

1

: the quality or state of being grand : awe-inspiring magnificence

2

: something that is grand