1. the quality of being magnificent or splendid or grand (Freq. 2) - for magnificence and personal service there is the Queen's hotel - his 'Hamlet' lacks the brilliance that one expects - it is the university that gives the scene its stately splendor - an imaginative mix of old-fashioned grandeur and colorful art - advertisers capitalize on the grandness and elegance it brings to their products • Syn: magnificence, brilliance, splendour, grandeur, grandness • Derivationally related forms: grand (for: grandness), brilliant (for: brilliance), magnificent (for: magnificence) • Hypernyms: elegance • Hyponyms: eclat 2. a quality that outshines the usual (Freq. 2) • Syn: luster, lustre, brilliancy, splendour • Derivationally related forms: brilliant (for: brilliancy) • Hypernyms: brightness