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

a poet whose work is of enduring greatness the overwhelming greatness of the canyon is what visitors first notice
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.
Trump and comparable tribunes of national greatness are now setting the global agenda. Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025 There is nothing inherently wrong with striving for greatness. Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025 The big guy, who is always having a lot of fun on the football field, doesn’t exactly feel the expectations of greatness some might see in him. Chris Hays, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2025 To rename the Gulf of Mexico is so petty — unworthy of our greatness as a nation. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 19 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for greatness

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

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Cite this Entry

“Greatness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/greatness. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.

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