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

• choiceness
• distinction
• excellence
• excellency
• first-rateness
• perfection
• preeminence
• primeness
• superbness
• superiority
• supremacy

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

Several members of what hopes to be the next class of greatness were in attendance for Thursday night’s draft, including redshirt freshman Sire Gaines and junior Jambres Dubar. —Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 25 Apr. 2025

That tension between wanting commercial success and also achieving canonical greatness is something that all artists feel in all media and all art forms. —Addie Morfoot, Variety, 25 Apr. 2025

That came in the 2006 NBA Finals, when the Heat came back from an 0-2 series deficit against the Dallas Mavericks by winning four games in a row to claim its first NBA championship behind the greatness of Dwyane Wade. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2025

From dreamy ethereal designs for women to risk-taking dynamism for men, both collections celebrate the synergy between creativity, adaptability, and the pursuit of greatness by drawing inspiration from historical trailblazers. —Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 23 Apr. 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