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 …

—George W. Gray †1960

(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 of magnitude

• 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 statistical side then won the engineering war, but the five-orders-of-magnitude bill served as a reminder. — Charles Yeomans, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

And Republican political operatives and independent election observers CNBC spoke with say the money hasn't had the effects its magnitude would be expected to in voter sentiment. — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026

The magnitude of the moment doesn't seem to faze Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase, who was on Becky Hammon's Las Vegas staff when the Aces won back-to-back titles in 2022 and ‘23. — ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026

Flight testing is incredibly difficult in terms of the amount of prep that needs to go into it and the magnitude of engineering that needs to go right. — Lee Billings, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2026

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