magnitude

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

Updated on: 22 May 2018

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 earthquake, which had a magnitude of 6.9, caused major damage in San Francisco and Oakland, and forced the postponement of Game 3.

— jim reineking, USA TODAY, "Minor earthquake strikes during San Francisco Giants' game vs. Cincinnati Reds," 15 May 2018
The last major one here, believed to be about a magnitude 6.0, was in 1862.

— john wilkens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Decades-long march continues to rid San Diego of quake-vulnerable buildings," 13 May 2018
Singapore is about 3,000 miles away from North Korea and represents a logistical challenge of a different magnitude, according to analysts and diplomats.

— chun han wong, WSJ, "Not a Light Traveler: When Kim Met Xi, He Brought His Maybach," 10 May 2018
While most of those have been small, one temblor reached a magnitude of 6.9 on Friday afternoon.

— kate silver, chicagotribune.com, "It's leisure as usual for travelers to Hawaii, despite lava flow," 9 May 2018
There are only two forces in the vertical direction, the downward gravitational force with a magnitude of M2g (where g = 9.8 N/kg) and the upward tension (T).

— rhett allain, WIRED, "The Physics of Swinging a Mass on a String for Fun," 9 May 2018
The biggest temblor struck with a 4.5 magnitude at 4:49 a.m. at a depth of eight miles, its epicenter 6 miles south-southeast of Mt. San Gorgonio and 8 miles north of Cabazon, said the USGS.

— Ramona Sentinel, "News Briefs: Ballots, quakes and heat," 8 May 2018
In 2013, a magnitude 7 earthquake struck the steep hills of China’s southwestern Sichuan province, leaving nearly 200 people dead.

— BostonGlobe.com, "This day in history," 19 Apr. 2018
Saturday's quakes were in the same area where four others struck Friday, including one of magnitude 3.7.

— Fox News, "Earthquakes in northwest Oklahoma include magnitude 4.6," 7 Apr. 2018

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.