magnitude

noun mag·ni·tude \ ˈmag-nə-ˌtüd , -ˌtyüd \

Definition of magnitude

1 a :great size or extent

cannot wage a war of such magnitude
—A. N. Whitehead

the magnitude of an earthquake

b (1) :spatial quality :size

able to operate only over distances of very small magnitude
—G. W. Gray

(2) :quantity, number

the savings in amounts of metal … will be of dramatically significant magnitudes
—American Fabrics

2 :the importance, quality, or caliber of something

evil of such magnitude as must, if possible, be prevented
—Jane Austen

a writer of first magnitude
—Richard Plant

3 :a number representing the intrinsic (see intrinsic 1a) or apparent brightness of a celestial (see ¹celestial 2) body on a logarithmic scale in which an increase of one unit corresponds to a reduction in the brightness of light by a factor of 2.512

4 :a numerical quantitative measure expressed usually as a multiple of a standard unit

5 :the intensity of an earthquake represented by a number on an arbitrary scale

a magnitude six earthquake

See magnitude defined for English-language learners

See magnitude defined for kids

Examples of magnitude in a Sentence

the magnitude of the issue can scarcely be overstated
the mountain's sheer magnitude usually leaves tourists speechless

Recent Examples of magnitude from the Web

That would bring a crisis of a new order of magnitude.

— The Economist, "Britain faces up to Brexit," 22 July 2017
While many of us know that fiber is an important part of our diet, not many of us understand the magnitude of the benefit of fiber intake for our overall health.

— trihealth, Cincinnati.com, "Why health experts emphasize fiber," 17 July 2017
But Fowler’s revelations, which occurred after Huffington’s departure from The Huffington Post, represented an ethical failure of a far greater magnitude.

— vanityfair.com, "Is Arianna Huffington Worse for Uber Than Travis Kalanick?," 10 July 2017
The largest quake in Montana history was magnitude 7.2 near West Yellowstone in 1959.

— Bloomberg.com, "Magnitude 5.8 Earthquake Shakes Montana," 6 July 2017
The changes required to deal with shortfalls of that magnitude will be enormous.

— michael tanner, National Review, "The Uninspiring Medicaid Debate," 5 July 2017
As the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants faced off, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake wreaked havoc on the West Coast.

— christina newland, Esquire, "The 20 Best Documentaries in ESPN's 30 for 30 Series," 29 June 2017
The magnitude of these cuts and changes to Medicaid is staggering.

— Naperville Sun, "Letters to the editor: Roundup, Naper Settlement, Carillon, dog rescue," 29 June 2017
Unfortunately, this phrase will also apply to future corporate crises of the highest magnitude, as Uber has faced an unprecedented series of calamities over the past 90 days.

— by mike valdes-fauli, miamiherald, "Five ways a company can avoid a crisis like Uber’s," 25 June 2017

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