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

• 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

True greatness will get most NFL players inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Oct. 2025

Barry represents courage, compassion, and that quiet greatness that lies in helping others. —Leo Barraclough, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025

Wild Zones are time sinks, places where hours can be drained away, their greatness owed to a mechanic ripped straight from Arceus where catching Pokémon feels like landing consecutive headshots in Call of Duty. —Ryan Gaur, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025

Reminiscent of Polanski’s Repulsion in its nightmarish depiction of an unraveling mind, Vicious, which was initially slated for a theatrical release but is instead streaming on Paramount+, doesn’t come close to approximating its greatness. —Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2025

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