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
A. N. Whiteheadthe magnitude of an earthquake
2
: the importance, quality, or caliber of something
evil of such magnitude as must, if possible, be prevented—Jane Austen
Jane Austena writer of first magnitude—Richard Plant
Richard Plant3
: 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
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 chances of another magnitude 4 are 2%.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025
The search covered more than one million square meters, or 247 acres, and was the first time a search of that magnitude had been completed in that area for the case, according to the FBI's Seattle field office.
—Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The ringed planet only gets to about 35 degrees high in the south at its highest, glowing slightly brighter than a first-magnitude star all night.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
An earthquake of more than 9 magnitude off Indonesia's Sumatra island in 2004 brought death and destruction to countries all around the Indian Ocean, including Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka and Africa's Kenya and Tanzania, killing some 230,000 people in all.
—Hannah Parry
john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for magnitude
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Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025
The search covered more than one million square meters, or 247 acres, and was the first time a search of that magnitude had been completed in that area for the case, according to the FBI's Seattle field office.
—Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The ringed planet only gets to about 35 degrees high in the south at its highest, glowing slightly brighter than a first-magnitude star all night.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
An earthquake of more than 9 magnitude off Indonesia's Sumatra island in 2004 brought death and destruction to countries all around the Indian Ocean, including Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka and Africa's Kenya and Tanzania, killing some 230,000 people in all.
—Hannah Parry
john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for magnitude
Cite this Entry
“Magnitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magnitude. Accessed 24 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
magnitude
noun
mag·ni·tude
ˈmag-nə-ˌt(y)üd
1
a
: great size or extent : bigness
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
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