magnitude
size; extent; dimensions: to determine the magnitude of an angle.
great importance or consequence: affairs of magnitude.
greatness of size or amount.
moral greatness: magnitude of mind.
Astronomy.
Also called visual magnitude, apparent 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.
Mathematics. a number characteristic of a quantity and forming a basis for comparison with similar quantities, as length.
Idioms about magnitude
of the first magnitude, of utmost or major importance: an artist of the first magnitude.
Origin of magnitude
1Other words from magnitude
- mag·ni·tu·di·nous [mag-ni-tood-n-uhs, -tyood-], /ˌmæg nɪˈtud n əs, -ˈtyud-/, adjective
- o·ver·mag·ni·tude, noun
Words Nearby magnitude
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use magnitude in a sentence
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.
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.
Carbon dioxide from Earth’s mantle may trigger some Italian earthquakes | Maria Temming | August 26, 2020 | Science NewsOcean 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.
‘Zombie’ Microbes Redefine Life’s Energy Limits | Jordana Cepelewicz | August 12, 2020 | Quanta MagazineWe 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.
He Found ‘Islands of Fertility’ Beneath Antarctica’s Ice | Steve Nadis | July 20, 2020 | Quanta MagazineThose numbers, however, fail to capture the magnitude of the mounting crisis.
Why South Asia’s COVID-19 Numbers Are So Low (For Now) | Puja Changoiwala | June 23, 2020 | Quanta Magazine
Unlike Maryland, national costs for institutionalization as opposed to HCBS do not differ by an order of magnitude.
Medicaid Will Give You Money for At-Home Care, but You Might Wait Years | Elizabeth Picciuto | December 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA subject of this magnitude requires national consensus-building.
The Nuclear Deal That Iran’s Regime Fears Most | Djavad Khadem | November 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTObama 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.
Too Big to Jail: Confessions of a Goldman Sachs Brat | Michael Daly | June 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut 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 Red Year | Louis TracyThe magnitude, and variety, and demands of the objects embraced by it, define the times necessary for engaging in it.
The Ordinance of Covenanting | John CunninghamBut this great re-emigration produced evils of no common magnitude in Brazil.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil | Maria GrahamOnly less in order of magnitude than the hurricanes are the circular storms known as cyclones.
Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate ShalerThe magnitude and the far-reaching results of his work are coming to be more and more appreciated by the English people.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car | Thomas D. Murphy
British Dictionary definitions for magnitude
/ (ˈmæɡnɪˌtjuːd) /
relative importance or significance: a problem of the first magnitude
relative size or extent: the magnitude of the explosion
maths a number assigned to a quantity, such as weight, and used as a basis of comparison for the measurement of similar quantities
Also called: apparent 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
Also called: earthquake 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
Origin of magnitude
1Derived forms of magnitude
- magnitudinous, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for magnitude
[ măg′nĭ-tōōd′ ]
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.♦ 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.♦ 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.♦ 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.
A measure of the total amount of energy released by an earthquake, as indicated on the Richter scale. See more at Richter scale.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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