magnification

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noun mag·ni·fi·ca·tion \ ˌmag-nə-fə-ˈkā-shən \

Definition of magnification

1 :the act of magnifying

2 a :the state of being magnified

b :the apparent enlargement of an object by an optical instrument — called also power

See magnification defined for English-language learners

See magnification defined for kids

Examples of magnification in a Sentence

We used a microscope to examine the cells under magnification.
At higher magnifications the differences between the cells become clear.

Recent Examples of magnification from the Web

Samsung goes further in offering more tweaking capabilities after the shot, along with anti-shake technology in both lenses (in the iPhone, only the lens with regular magnification has it).

— Washington Post, "Up from the ashes: Samsung unveils successor to Note 7 phone," 23 Aug. 2017
The way print allows for serendipity to affect readers' thought patterns and habits, and the way platform algorithms and the cognitive processes of browsing result in echo chambers' magnification, is not complained about enough.

— luke o'neil, Esquire, "Generations of Village Voice Writers Reflect on the Paper Leaving the Honor Boxes," 23 Aug. 2017
Given the recent magnification of the rivalry, Louisville Slugger Field should be expecting its biggest crowd of the season for a Louisville City game.

— drew hill, The Courier-Journal, "Savage: Louisville City-FC Cincinnati Twitter war reaches new high ahead of Saturday's match," 12 July 2017
The set also includes brow shaping scissors, a spooley brush, and mini mirror with 10x magnification included.

— devon abelman, Allure, "The Tweezerman x Huda Beauty Collection Is Huda Kattan's Latest Collab," 22 June 2017
Guth took the showiest specimens among the five beetle groups, set them against a dark background and photographed them at about 15 times magnification.

— susan dunne, courant.com, "Meet The Beetles At Peabody Museum In New Haven," 21 June 2017
However, a backyard telescope with high magnification will offer the best views of the gas giant planet and its stunning ring system, which currently appears tilted 26.5 degrees toward Earth.

— National Geographic, "Best View of Saturn's Rings Until 2032—How to See It," 14 June 2017
For years, Minnesota regulations had clung to a traditionalist view of muzzleloaders — that a hunter must take aim by peering down the barrel, with no telescope-like magnification to help.

— dave orrick, Twin Cities, "MN deer hunters can now use modern optics on an antique technology: muzzleloaders," 3 June 2017
Willard Wigan creates his artworks under a microscope with several hundred times magnification.

— théoden janes, charlotteobserver, "Speck-sized sculptures? A 50-foot snake? A (nearly) 9-foot man? Believe it... or not.," 25 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'magnification.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of magnification

15th century

magnification Synonyms

Synonyms

caricature, coloring, elaboration, embellishment, embroidering, embroidery, hyperbole, exaggeration, overstatement, padding, stretching

Antonyms

meiosis, understatement

Related Words

amplification, enhancement; fabrication, misrepresentation; fudging, hedging; hype, puffery; superlative

Near Antonyms

belittlement, disparagement, minimizing, poor-mouthing

MAGNIFICATION Defined for English Language Learners

magnification

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noun

Definition of magnification for English Language Learners

: the act of making something look larger than it is : the act of magnifying something
: the larger appearance of an object when it is seen through a microscope, telescope, etc.

Medical Dictionary

magnification

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noun mag·ni·fi·ca·tion \ ˌmag-nə-fə-ˈkā-shən \

medical Definition of magnification

1 :the act of magnifying

2 a :the state of being magnified

b :the apparent enlargement of an object by an optical instrument that is the ratio of the dimensions of an image formed by the instrument to the corresponding dimensions of the object — called also power