greatness

noun

great·​ness ˈgrāt-nəs 

: the quality or state of being great (as in size, skill, achievement, or power)

Today, many Inca buildings still stand—all witnesses to an empire of unforgettable greatness.

—Michelle Laliberte

An understanding of the visible world became a better way of understanding the greatness of God.

—Mario Salvadori

I came back convinced that bourbon and its cousins are America's contribution to world distillery, with as strong a claim to greatness as anything from Scotland, Ireland, or Canada.

—Corby Kummer

… young team that came within a game of reaching the World Series, a team on the verge of greatness.

—Barry Rozner

Tyson, 33, has long since abandoned any claim to boxing greatness, having squandered his promise in two jail sentences, a suspension and several gory defeats.

—Richard Hoffer

Synonyms of greatness

• excellence
• excellency

Examples of greatness in a Sentence

a poet whose work is of enduring greatness

the overwhelming greatness of the canyon is what visitors first notice

Recent Examples on the Web

Coco is now a household name, but her father told Teen Vogue in August 2019 that Coco’s road to greatness isn’t a story of overnight success. — Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 9 July 2026

By contrast, leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, and George Washington achieved greatness by pursuing morally righteous causes of liberation. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 8 July 2026

The greatness began in 2007, ending a run of six straight titles won by former GOAT Takeru Kobayashi, who injured his jaw ahead of that contest. — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026

When Kylian Mbappé takes the field in a French national team uniform, the 27-year-old forward is competing against not just 11 opponents but countless greatness-chasing peers — past and present. — Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 3 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing greatness

• the stuff of greatness

Rhymes for greatness

• lateness
• straightness