magnificence

/mægˈnɪfəsəns/

/mægˈnɪfɪsɪnts/

Other forms: magnificences

Magnificence is when something is incredibly grand, beautiful, or impressive. You might describe the magnificence of a cruise ship, for example, with its elaborate ballrooms and large swimming pools.

When something makes a huge impression on you, especially for its hugeness or fanciness, it has the quality of magnificence. To a little kid, Disney World has magnificence, while an adult might be impressed by the magnificence of a first class European train car. In the fourteenth century, magnificence implied courage and nobility, as the word comes from the Latin root magnificus, which means both "great, noble, and eminent," and also "splendid, rich, or costly."

Definitions of magnificence

1. noun

   splendid or imposing in size or appearance
   synonyms: grandness, impressiveness, richness

   types:

   expansiveness, expansivity

   a quality characterized by magnificence of scale or the tendency to expand

   loftiness, majesty, stateliness

   impressiveness in scale or proportion

   type of:

   excellence

   the quality of excelling; possessing good qualities in high degree
2. noun

   the quality of being magnificent or splendid or grand
   “for magnificence and personal service there is the Queen's hotel”

   synonyms: brilliance, grandeur, grandness, splendor, splendour

   types:

   eclat

   brilliant or conspicuous success or effect

   type of:

   elegance

   a refined quality of gracefulness and good taste