grandeur

noun

gran·​deur ˈgran-jər How to pronounce grandeur (audio)
-ˌju̇r,
-ˌd(y)u̇r,
-d(y)ər
1
: the quality or state of being grand : magnificence
the glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was RomeE. A. Poe
2
: an instance or example of grandeur
visited the awesome grandeurs of the American West

Examples of grandeur in a Sentence

His paintings capture the beauty and grandeur of the landscape. They are restoring the hotel to its original grandeur.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In Arthur Penn’s 1967 Bonnie and Clyde, Hackman played Buck Barrow, older brother to Warren Beatty’s Clyde; the performance was robust, nuanced, quietly shattering—Buck’s death scene is a moment of savage grandeur. Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 27 Feb. 2025 The teacher gets delusions of grandeur, behaving tyrannically toward his family. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2025 Adapting Zombies novelist Seth Grahame-Smith’s book, which reimagined our 16th president as a kick-ass vampire slayer, director Timur Bekmambetov overdoes the gloomy grandeur and violent kill sequences. Will Leitch, Vulture, 17 Feb. 2025 Centered around the drama of New York City’s elite during the 1880s—and the rapidly changing social and economic landscape of the post-Civil War era—the show serves up plenty of glamour, grandeur, and guilty pleasure. Radhika Seth, Vogue, 9 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for grandeur

Word History

Etymology

French, from Old French, from grand

First Known Use

1632, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of grandeur was in 1632

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grandeur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grandeur. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

grandeur

noun
gran·​deur ˈgran-jər How to pronounce grandeur (audio)
1
: the quality or state of being grand : awe-inspiring magnificence
2
: something that is grand

More from Merriam-Webster on grandeur

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