1. The property of relative size or extent (whether large or small)
   "they tried to predict the magnitude of the explosion"; "about the magnitude of a small pea"
    
2. A number assigned to the ratio of two quantities; two quantities are of the same order of magnitude if one is less than 10 times as large as the other; the number of magnitudes that the quantities differ is specified to within a power of 10
   "The difference between 1,000 and 5,000 is within one order of magnitude";
   - order of magnitude
    
3. Relative importance
   "a problem of the first magnitude"
    
4. (astronomy) the brightness of a star or other object, measured on a logarithmic scale where smaller numbers represent brighter objects; a difference of 5 magnitudes corresponds to a factor of 100 in intensity
   "Sirius has an apparent magnitude of -1.46, making it the brightest star in the night sky"

Derived forms: magnitudes

See also: measurable, mensurable

Type of: importance, importancy [archaic], property, ratio

Encyclopedia: Magnitude