magnitude
gb/mˈæɡnətˌud/ us/mˈæɡnətˌud/
B2
English
~ 8500
mérték, nagyságrend, abszolút érték, magnitúdó, nagyság, fényesség
NOUN
B2
1
mérték
B1
nagyságrend
B2
Usage pattern:
the magnitude of [something]
We underestimated the magnitude of the crisis until it began to affect every region of the country.
Alábecsültük a válság mértékét, amíg az el nem kezdte érinteni az ország minden régióját.
The report makes clear the magnitude of the changes needed to reach our climate goals.
A jelentés világossá teszi, milyen mértékű változtatásokra van szükség ahhoz, hogy elérjük a klímacéljainkat.
Only later did she realize the true magnitude of her achievement.
The sheer magnitude of the data breach shocked both customers and regulators.
Historians still debate the magnitude of his influence on modern politics.
Learner examples
They did not understand the magnitude of the problem.
Nem értették meg a probléma valódi mértékét.
The news showed the magnitude of the storm damage.
A híradó bemutatta a vihar okozta károk mértékét.
We were surprised by the magnitude of public support.
The teacher explained the magnitude of our mistake.
The company did not see the full magnitude of the risk.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use magnitude only for physical size and forget it is very common for non-physical things like problems, risks, or achievements. Another common mistake is to omit the preposition of, for example saying the magnitude the problem instead of the magnitude of the problem.
Meaning
overall size, extent, or importance
Collocations
the magnitude of the problem
|sheer magnitude
|full magnitude
|true magnitude
|enormous magnitude
|unprecedented magnitude
Synonyms
scale (Focuses on the overall size or level of something, especially when comparing things.)
|
extent (Stresses how far something reaches or how much it covers.)
|
seriousness (Emphasizes how severe or grave a situation is rather than its physical size.)
Antonyms
smallness (Direct opposite in terms of size or extent.)
|
insignificance (Opposite in terms of importance; suggests that something does not really matter.)
Themes
general
|society
|core_vocabulary
Definition
How big, serious, or important something is.
The great size, extent, or importance of something, especially when it is serious or impressive.
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
2
Usage pattern:
the magnitude of [a force/value]; [number]-magnitude [measurement]
The magnitude of the force is 10 newtons, acting at an angle of 30 degrees.
Az erő nagysága 10 newton, és 30 fokos szögben hat.
To find the magnitude of the vector, you take the square root of the sum of the squares of its components.
A vektor nagyságának meghatározásához négyzetgyököt vonunk a komponensei négyzeteinek összegéből.
The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1 on the local scale.
In this graph, the color shows the direction and the length shows the magnitude of the electric field.
Even a small change in angle can greatly reduce the magnitude of the resulting acceleration.
Learner examples
We calculated the magnitude of the vector in class.
Az órán kiszámoltuk a vektor nagyságát.
The earthquake reached a magnitude of 6.5.
A földrengés magnitúdója 6,5 volt.
This formula gives the magnitude of the force on the object.
You can show the magnitude of a number with its absolute value.
The diagram compares the magnitudes of the different signals.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes mix up magnitude with direction when talking about vectors, or they confuse magnitude with sign in mathematics. In many technical contexts, magnitude refers only to how big something is, not where it points or whether it is positive or negative.
Meaning
numerical size of a quantity
Collocations
vector magnitude
|magnitude of a force
|earthquake magnitude
|magnitude of acceleration
|magnitude of the velocity
|absolute magnitude
Synonyms
size (Everyday word; less precise and not limited to numerical or scientific contexts.)
|
absolute value (Specific mathematical term for the magnitude of a real number regardless of sign.)
Antonyms
zero (Represents the absence of magnitude; a quantity with zero magnitude has no size or strength.)
Themes
science
|mathematics
|physics
|core_vocabulary
Definition
The number that shows how big a force, value, or other quantity is, without its direction or sign.
In mathematics, physics, and related sciences, the size or amount of a quantity, expressed as a number and usually considered without regard to its direction or sign.
NOUN
C2
TECHNICAL
3
Usage pattern:
[apparent/absolute] magnitude of [a star/object]
The star has an apparent magnitude of 1.2, so it is easily visible to the naked eye.
A csillag látszólagos magnitúdója 1,2, ezért szabad szemmel is könnyen látható.
Astronomers use absolute magnitude to compare the true brightness of stars at a standard distance.
A csillagászok az abszolút fényességet használják arra, hogy egységes távolságra vetítve összehasonlítsák a csillagok tényleges fényességét.
As the comet approached the Sun, its magnitude decreased and it became much easier to see.
Objects with a visual magnitude greater than 6 are usually too faint to see without a telescope.
On this chart, lower magnitude values indicate brighter galaxies.
Learner examples
The star is very bright, with a low magnitude number.
A csillag nagyon fényes, és alacsony a magnitúdóértéke.
We learned how to find the apparent magnitude of a star.
Megtanultuk, hogyan kell meghatározni egy csillag látszólagos magnitúdóját.
Absolute magnitude shows how bright a star really is.
A star with magnitude 2 is brighter than a star with magnitude 5.
The telescope lets us see objects with very high magnitude values.
Common mistake:
Learners often think that a higher magnitude number means a brighter star, but in astronomy the scale is reversed, so smaller or negative magnitudes are brighter.
Meaning
brightness of a star on a scale
Collocations
apparent magnitude
|absolute magnitude
|visual magnitude
|photometric magnitude
|magnitude scale
Synonyms
brightness (General word; magnitude is the specific measured brightness on an astronomical scale.)
Antonyms
faintness (Describes very low brightness, the opposite of being bright on the magnitude scale.)
Themes
science
|astronomy
|space
Definition
In astronomy, a number that shows how bright a star or planet is, where smaller numbers mean it is brighter.
In astronomy, a number that represents the brightness of a star or other celestial object, on a scale where lower or negative numbers indicate greater brightness.
Grammar
Dictionary form
magnitude
IPA
GB/mˈæɡnətˌud/
US/mˈæɡnətˌud/
Syllables & stress
mag - nitude (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (mag)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: magnitude
- Plural: magnitude, magnitudes
Word family
Expressions
of the first magnitude
1/əv ðə fˈɚst mˈæɡnətˌud/
idiom
literary
of the very highest importance
Extremely important or very great in degree.
Examples
- This discovery is an event of the first magnitude in medical research.
- The scandal was a political crisis of the first magnitude.
order of magnitude
1/ˈɔɹdɚ əv mˈæɡnətˌud/
fixed phrase
step on a size scale
A level of size or amount, usually meaning about ten times bigger or smaller than another level.
Examples
- The new processor is an order of magnitude faster than the previous model.
- Their budget is two orders of magnitude larger than ours, so they can advertise everywhere.
- This change reduced the error by an order of magnitude, which is a huge improvement.
same order of magnitude
1/sˈeɪm ˈɔɹdɚ əv mˈæɡnətˌud/
fixed phrase
roughly similar in scale or size
About the same size or amount, not very different in level.
Examples
- Their salaries are in the same order of magnitude, so the comparison is fair.
- The two cities have populations of the same order of magnitude, but very different cultures.
- The repair costs ended up in the same order of magnitude as buying a new car.