greatness

noun

great·​ness ˈgrāt-nəs How to pronounce greatness (audio)
: the quality or state of being great (as in size, skill, achievement, or power)
Today, many Inca buildings still stand—all witnesses to an empire of unforgettable greatness.Michelle Laliberte
An understanding of the visible world became a better way of understanding the greatness of God.Mario Salvadori
I came back convinced that bourbon and its cousins are America's contribution to world distillery, with as strong a claim to greatness as anything from Scotland, Ireland, or Canada.Corby Kummer
… young team that came within a game of reaching the World Series, a team on the verge of greatness.Barry Rozner
Tyson, 33, has long since abandoned any claim to boxing greatness, having squandered his promise in two jail sentences, a suspension and several gory defeats.Richard Hoffer

Examples of greatness in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Perhaps the hardest thing about making bio-pics, at least ones regarding figures of actual greatness, is the inability of most directors to consider such heroes face to face, to share in the grandeur or the enormity of these protagonists’ inner lives. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024 The Trojans haven’t won a title in 39 years, but third-year boss Gottlieb has brought this new culture to the verge of greatness. Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2024 In 2024, our definition of literary greatness is wider, deeper, and weirder than DeForest likely could have imagined. The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2024 The Green Bay Packers appear to be on the brink of greatness. Rob Reischel, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 But securing immortal greatness required an all-time performance. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 Lynette Woodard, Brittney Griner, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi — there was a lot of past greatness, a lot of footsteps to guide Clark’s path. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024 This comes with the knowledge that, much like in films, a single noteworthy performance can create ripples throughout the company, inspiring others to reach for greatness. Sherzod Odilov, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 The film also set up its director Ben Wheatley — making his feature debut after years working on TV, commercials and shorts — for cinematic greatness. Alex Ritman, Variety, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'greatness.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of greatness was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near greatness

Cite this Entry

“Greatness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/greatness. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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