magnificent

mag·nif·i·cent
M3A1G2N1I1F4I1C3E1N1T1
/mæɡˈnɪfəsənt/

adjective

Grand, elegant or splendid in appearance.

CommonScrabble 19

Meanings

adjectivemagnificent (comparative more magnificent, superlative most magnificent)

comparative more magnificent · superlative most magnificent

  1. Grand, elegant or splendid in appearance.

    Armstrong: "Isn't that something! Magnificent sight out here." Aldrin: "Magnificent desolation."

    1995, “One Small Step”, in Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal, retrieved 03 May 2023
    1 more example

    “Do I fidget you ?” he asked apologetically, whilst his long bony fingers buried themselves, string, knots, and all, into the capacious pockets of his magnificent tweed ulster.

    1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], chapter 1, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, published 1905, →OCLC; republished as popular edition, London: Greening & Co., 1909, OCLC 11192831, quoted in The Case of Miss Elliott (ebook no. 2000141h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg of Australia, February 2020
  2. Grand or noble in action.
  3. Exceptional for its kind.

    Substitute Edin Dzeko scrambled in a fourth and the magnificent David Silva ran clear to add another, before the Bosnian striker inflicted the final wound seconds from the end.

    2011 October 23, Phil McNulty, “Man Utd 1-6 Man City”, in BBC Sport
    1 more example

    They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too.

    1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivecharacterized by grandeur

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinmagnificentior
  2. Middle Frenchmagnificent
  3. Middle Englishmagnificent
  4. Englishmagnificent

From Middle English magnificent, from Middle French magnificent, from Latin magnificentior, comparative of magnificus (“great in deeds or sentiment, noble, splendid, etc.”), from magnus (“great”) + -ficēns, a form of -ficiēns, the regular form, in compounds, of faciēns, a participle of facere (“to do”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek μεγαλοπρεπής, προστατικός
  • μεγαλοπρεπής (megaloprepḗs)grand, elegant or splendid in appearance
  • προστατικός (prostatikós)grand or noble in action
Arabic عَظِيم, رَائِع
  • عَظِيم (ʕaẓīm)grand, elegant or splendid in appearance
  • رَائِع (rāʔiʕ)grand, elegant or splendid in appearance
Bulgarian великолепен, величествен
  • великолепен (velikolepen)grand, elegant or splendid in appearance
  • величествен (veličestven)grand or noble in action
Catalan magnífic
  • magníficgrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
Chinese Mandarin 壯麗 /壮丽, 堂皇
  • 壯麗 /壮丽 (zhuànglì)grand, elegant or splendid in appearance
  • 堂皇 (tánghuáng)grand, elegant or splendid in appearance
Dutch prachtig
  • prachtiggrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
Esperanto belega, grandioza
  • belegagrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
  • grandiozagrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
Finnish suurenmoinen, hieno
  • suurenmoinengrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
  • hienogrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
  • upeagrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
  • mahtavagrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
  • suurenmoinengrand or noble in action
  • mahtavagrand or noble in action
  • suurenmoinenexceptional for its kind
  • upeaexceptional for its kind
French magnifique
  • magnifiquegrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
German prächtig, ausgezeichnet
  • prächtiggrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
  • ausgezeichnetexceptional for its kind
Greek μεγαλοπρεπής
  • μεγαλοπρεπής (megaloprepís)grand, elegant or splendid in appearance
Hebrew נֶהְדָּר
  • נֶהְדָּר (nehdár)grand, elegant or splendid in appearance
Hindi शानदार, भव्य
  • शानदार (śāndār)grand, elegant or splendid in appearance
  • भव्य (bhavya)grand, elegant or splendid in appearance
  • गौरवशाली (gauravśālī)grand, elegant or splendid in appearance
  • विराट (virāṭ)grand, elegant or splendid in appearance
Italian magnifico
  • magnificogrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
Japanese 素晴しい
  • 素晴しい (subarashii)grand, elegant or splendid in appearance
Korean 장엄한
  • 장엄한 (jang'eom-han)grand, elegant or splendid in appearance
Māori whakahirahira
  • whakahirahiragrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
Persian ورجاوند
  • ورجاوند (varjâvand)grand, elegant or splendid in appearance
Portuguese magnífico
  • magníficogrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
Russian великоле́пный
  • великоле́пный (velikolépnyj)grand, elegant or splendid in appearance
Spanish magnífico, macanudo
  • magníficogrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
  • macanudogrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
  • pulentogrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
Swedish storartad, magnifik
  • storartadgrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
  • magnifikgrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
Tagalog dakila, magnipisente
  • dakilagrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
  • magnipisentegrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
  • maringalgrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
Turkish muhteşem
  • muhteşemgrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
Vietnamese tráng lệ
  • tráng lệgrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
Welsh arddun
  • arddungrand, elegant or splendid in appearance
Cite this entry
APA

magnificent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/magnificent

MLA

“magnificent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/magnificent. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “magnificent,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/magnificent.

Source: magnificent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.