greatness

noun

great·​ness ˈgrāt-nəs 

: 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

Synonyms

• choiceness
• distinction
• excellence
• excellency
• first-rateness
• perfection
• preeminence
• primeness
• superbness
• superiority
• supremacy

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

With an ever-increasing schedule, the expectations for greatness never cease as the demands of the game physically and mentally grow bigger. —Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025

The challenge of the Beatles’ greatness is that it’s so universally assumed — and so relentlessly chronicled — that nothing more need be said about the subject. —Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2025

And is there a route to greatness that does not demand everything of the player who seeks it? —James Hansen, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025

Elsewhere in the episode, our panelists dig into the greatness of Lady Gaga‘s Mayhem, and make the case for past Gaga albums, from 2016’s Joanne to 2020’s Chromatica. —Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing greatness

• the stuff of greatness

Rhymes for greatness

• lateness
• straightness