Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
You can layer the soap with its corresponding perfume, body lotion and hand cream to build intensity, or, like the other Dries items in your collection, let it stand alone in its sublimity.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
Featuring inspired vocal performances by Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal and a deep cast of animation veterans, Chris Sanders’ warm adventure approaches sublimity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2025
"Good Omens" doesn't quite achieve that level of sublimity in these new episodes, alas.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2023
But when Cootie finally leaves the house as a teenager, he falls in love with this world, in all its sublimity and stupidity.
From New York Times ● Jun. 19, 2023
It is on that feeling of sublimity, even greater than one feels when standing atop a mountain and looking at a glorious view, that religions are based.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
It's a buddy movie shot in soft light that aspires to comfort an older generation while informing the young that life's messiness and sublimities don't end at 40.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2018
It is a testament to Forman’s fascination with the foibles and sublimities of the human spirit, and how cunning and tenderness, along with enduring passion, play out against our cruelties and better angels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2018
“Likeness” encompasses such sublimities as Donatello’s painted terra-cotta bust of an Italian aristocrat, which shines with aloof sensitivity, and Rodin’s breathtaking translucent “Mask of Hanako II Type E,” which seems the soul incarnate.
From New York Times ● Mar. 22, 2018
“Mel Allen’s life was one long, extended, exhaustive, triumphant prayer,” he said, “a call to us to see the sublimities of the stolen sign or the first seasonal shifts of the wind.”
From New York Times ● Dec. 4, 2010
That this is true we have seen proved unnumbered times as lowly piety has revealed sublimities of faith and trust.
From The Message and the Man: Some Essentials of Effective Preaching by Jackson, J. Dodd (James Dodd)
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.
