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View synonyms for magnitude

magnitude

[ mag-ni-tood, -tyood ]

noun

  1. size; extent; dimensions:

    to determine the magnitude of an angle.

  2. great importance or consequence:

    affairs of magnitude.

  3. greatness of size or amount.
  4. moral greatness:

    magnitude of mind.

  5. Astronomy.
    1. Also called visual magnitude, the brightness of a star or other celestial body as viewed by the unaided eye and expressed by a mathematical ratio of 2.512: a star of the first magnitude is approximately 2½ times as bright as one of the second magnitude and 100 times brighter than one of the sixth magnitude. Only stars of the sixth magnitude or brighter can be seen with the unaided eye.
  6. Mathematics. a number characteristic of a quantity and forming a basis for comparison with similar quantities, as length.


magnitude

/ ˈmæɡnɪˌtjuːd /

noun

  1. relative importance or significance

    a problem of the first magnitude

  2. relative size or extent

    the magnitude of the explosion

  3. maths a number assigned to a quantity, such as weight, and used as a basis of comparison for the measurement of similar quantities
  4. Also calledapparent magnitude astronomy the apparent brightness of a celestial body expressed on a numerical scale on which bright stars have a low value. Values are measured by eye (visual magnitude) or more accurately by photometric or photographic methods, and range from –26.7 (the sun), through 1.5 (Sirius), down to about +30. Each integral value represents a brightness 2.512 times greater than the next highest integral value See also absolute magnitude visual magnitude
  5. Also calledearthquake magnitude geology a measure of the size of an earthquake based on the quantity of energy released: specified on the Richter scale See Richter scale


magnitude

/ măgnĭ-to̅o̅d′ /

  1. The degree of brightness of a star or other celestial body, measured on a logarithmic scale in which lower numbers mean greater brightness, such that a decrease of one unit represents an increase in brightness by a factor of 2.512. An object that is 5 units less than another object on the magnitude scale is 100 times more luminous. Because of refinements in measurement after the zero point was assigned, very bright objects have negative magnitudes.
  2. ◆ The brightness of a celestial body as seen from Earth is called its apparent magnitude . (When unspecified, an object's magnitude is normally assumed to be its apparent magnitude.) The dimmest stars visible to the unaided eye have apparent magnitude 6, while the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius, has apparent magnitude −1.4. The full Moon and the Sun have apparent magnitudes of −12.7 and −26.8 respectively.
  3. ◆ The brightness of a celestial body computed as if viewed from a distance of 10 parsecs (32.6 light-years) is called its absolute magnitude . Absolute magnitude measures the intrinsic brightness of a celestial object rather than how bright it appears on Earth, using the same logarithmic scale as for apparent magnitude. Sirius has an absolute magnitude of 1.5, considerably dimmer than Rigel which, though its apparent magnitude is 0.12, has an absolute magnitude of −8.1. Stars that appear dim in the night sky but have bright absolute magnitudes are much farther from Earth than stars that shine brightly at night but have relatively dim absolute magnitudes. The Sun, a star of only medium brightness, has an absolute magnitude of 4.8.
  4. ◆ The degree of total radiation emitted by a celestial body, including all infrared and ultraviolet radiation in addition to visible light, is called its bolometric magnitude . Bolometric magnitude is generally measured by applying a standard correction to an object's absolute magnitude.
  5. A measure of the total amount of energy released by an earthquake, as indicated on the Richter scale.
  6. See more at Richter scale


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Derived Forms

  • ˌmagniˈtudinous, adjective

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Other Words From

  • mag·ni·tu·di·nous [mag-ni-, tood, -n-, uh, s, -, tyood, -], adjective
  • over·magni·tude noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of magnitude1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Latin word magnitūdō. See magni-, -tude

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Word History and Origins

Origin of magnitude1

C14: from Latin magnitūdō size, from magnus great

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. of the first magnitude, of utmost or major importance:

    an artist of the first magnitude.

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Example Sentences

You take all these pieces, put them together as a whole, and you realize the magnitude that conservative space in our society right now, whether it’s corporate America, Hollywood, the media, social media platforms, et cetera.

From Ozy

When the region was struck by quakes of magnitude 6 or higher, the Velino aquifer springs released more than 600 metric tons of CO2 per day.

Ocean drilling expeditions have repeatedly probed those lightless depths and uncovered cells that survive almost in suspended animation, consuming orders of magnitude less energy than their neighbors at the surface.

We know that some lakes are producing 10,000 kilograms of carbon per year — orders of magnitude lower, in terms of biomass production, than is typical of lakes that aren’t covered by ice — but they’re still eking out an existence.

Those numbers, however, fail to capture the magnitude of the mounting crisis.

Unlike Maryland, national costs for institutionalization as opposed to HCBS do not differ by an order of magnitude.

A subject of this magnitude requires national consensus-building.

Obama appeared acutely aware of the magnitude of the situation, and the urgency with which immediate action is needed.

They were in fact of such magnitude that he received a $15 million bonus in 2009, reportedly more than Blankfein was awarded.

But apparently there are scoops of great magnitude to be gleaned from these repetitive pictures.

Never did events of the utmost magnitude hinge on incidents so trivial to the community at large.

The magnitude, and variety, and demands of the objects embraced by it, define the times necessary for engaging in it.

But this great re-emigration produced evils of no common magnitude in Brazil.

Only less in order of magnitude than the hurricanes are the circular storms known as cyclones.

The magnitude and the far-reaching results of his work are coming to be more and more appreciated by the English people.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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