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

Trailing late in games isn’t exactly reflective of a dominant team that’s necessarily destined for greatness. —Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025

State of the government Wyandotte is a community hungry for greatness, and that’s reflected in its growth, Garner said. —Kansas City Star, 3 Dec. 2025

But dig a little deeper, and there’s a raft of gameplay tweaks that push the latest installment of the world’s most beloved kart racer into stratospheric greatness. —Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2025

Worst of all for the Rams’ claim to greatness, the Panthers ripped them for 164 rushing yards. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Dec. 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