Etymology
Origin of sublimity
1520–30; < Latin sublīmitās height, equivalent to sublīm ( is ) sublime + -itās -ity
Explanation
Something that's very beautiful, noble, or excellent has the quality of sublimity. You might be overwhelmed by the magnificence and sublimity of the view you see the first time you visit the Grand Canyon. The noun sublimity describes a characteristic that's a little hard to pin down. When something is sublime, it transcends greatness or beauty for the observer — like a deeply moving film or a transcendent piece of music. So when something is truly wonderful, or someone acts in a truly noble way, it's an example of sublimity. The Latin root, sublimis, means "uplifted, high, or exalted."
Vocabulary lists containing sublimity
The Princess Bride
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Butterfly Yellow
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"Grand Canyon Speech"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Among those evacuated to the Oregon State Fairgrounds were 160 residents of the Marian Estates independent senior living center in Sublimity, Oregon.
From Washington Times • Sep. 9, 2020
Sublimity, however, is what has been avoided; and the grandeur of ballet, as many old works still reveal, was one of its glories.
From New York Times • Jan. 12, 2017
Sublimity, which to the Romantics meant a rough, awestriking type of beauty, was a given.
From Slate • Nov. 7, 2016
Hennessy had 2007 Champion Hurdle winner Sublimity and his son trains.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2015
The writer of the treatise On Sublimity knows no heights loftier than those to which Demosthenes has risen.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 2 "Demijohn" to "Destructor" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
