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

The recruiting stars attached to a player’s name do not guarantee success any more than a coach’s blue-blooded bonafides ensure his greatness. —Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026

No state in America contributes more — none — to American greatness. —Sacramento Bee Staff, Sacbee.com, 8 Jan. 2026

Yes, Dan Lanning has had the Ducks on the precipice of greatness for a while now and hasn’t gotten over the hump. —Sports Columnist, Austin American Statesman, 8 Jan. 2026

Marty Supreme is the story of Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), a would-be table-tennis champion whose dreams of greatness are hampered by the fact that no one in 1952 New York City gives a damn about table tennis. —Alison Willmore, Vulture, 2 Jan. 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