stature
Americannoun
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statures
plural
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the height of a human or animal body.
-
the height of any object.
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degree of development attained; level of achievement.
a minister of great stature.
noun
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the height of something, esp a person or animal when standing
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the degree of development of a person
the stature of a champion
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intellectual or moral greatness
a man of stature
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of stature
1250–1300; Middle English < Old French estature < Latin statūra, equivalent to stat ( us ) past participle of stāre to stand + -ūra -ure
Explanation
Stature can refer to a person's height or the high level of respect with which she is regarded. Your grandmother might be small in stature, or height, but have great stature, or esteem, in her community. Stature comes from the Latin word statura, meaning "height, size of body, growth," but today, it also means "a high level of respect gained by achievement." For example, after you win a Nobel Prize, your new stature will bring new fans, more sales of your book, invitations to many exclusive dinner parties, and maybe even your picture on magazine covers all over the world.
Vocabulary lists containing stature
Boy: Tales of Childhood
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Bless Me, Ultima
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Purple Hibiscus
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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:
Analysts say Kim now enjoys greater global stature, buoyed by crucial backing from Russia and China as well as an improving economy.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
While going down a TikTok rabbit hole on car tech, she was alarmed by one clip in which a woman of similarly short stature said her car decelerated after she briefly slouched.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
And there’s what winning that will mean for the franchise’s stature in L.A., a city that’s impressed by little that’s short of championships.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Quick, sharp in the box and relatively small in stature, Satpaev is stylistically often compared to former Argentina and Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
He was small in stature, timorous and shy by nature.
From "Beowulf: A New Telling" by Robert Nye
Over the years, experts debated their sex, their relationship, and whether the same condition might explain both of their statures.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 17, 2026
All three look like they could be playing basketball or football with their physical statures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2026
Despite similar statures, the long-arcing pop star and Pulitzer-approved rap laureate land in Seattle at slightly different junctures in their careers.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 16, 2022
The poem features eight verses of three lines and focuses on imagery of a birdless wood, snow and "singing statures".
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2015
This highly refined coordination and cooperation must be multiplied out across eight individuals of varying statures and physiques to make the most of each individual’s strengths.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
