magnitude

noun

mag·​ni·​tude ˈmag-nə-ˌtüd 

-ˌtyüd

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 sense 1a) or apparent brightness of a celestial (see celestial entry 1 sense 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

Synonyms

• significance
• importance
• import
• consequence

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 on the Web

The drop in bond yields is notable though the magnitude of the decline to 4% on the 10-year in recent days is not dramatic. —Michael Santoli, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025

By degrees of magnitude, suicide attempts by gun are the deadliest, and they may be hastily decided-upon, according to the Harvard School of Public Health's Means Matter Campaign. —Jessie Opoien, jsonline.com, 11 Sep. 2025

Only a sociopath or a sadist could tell a lie of this magnitude, but again, such broad characters are par for the course in shows like this. —Judy Berman, Time, 10 Sep. 2025

Otherwise, the sheer magnitude of America’s natural gas resource has enabled drillers to quickly overwhelm temporary spikes in prices by activating a number of additional drillings and driving prices back down with higher production volumes. —David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin magnitudo, from magnus

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing magnitude

• absolute magnitude
• apparent magnitude
• order of magnitude

Rhymes for magnitude

• altitude
• amplitude
• aptitude
• attitude
• barbecued
• certitude
• desuetude
• devalued
• finitude
• fortitude
• gratitude
• interlude

Kids Definition

magnitude

noun

mag·​ni·​tude ˈmag-nə-ˌt(y)üd 

1

a

: great size or extent : bigness

b

: size entry 1 sense 1

2

: the importance of something in influence or effect

3

: degree of brightness

especially : a number representing the brightness of a star

4

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

Medical Definition

magnitude

noun

mag·​ni·​tude ˈmag-nə-ˌt(y)üd 

: relative size or extent