stature
Americannoun
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the height of a human or animal body.
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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
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.
Her collection of statuettes is smaller than you might assume given her cultural stature, however.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
Finding a resolution could raise Xi’s stature as a global statesman who swooped in at the precipice of a possible military escalation, analysts and U.S. officials said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026
Micron MU, with a $665 billion market capitalization, has seen its stature grow rapidly as memory chips have proved a major bottleneck to the artificial-intelligence buildout.
From MarketWatch • May 4, 2026
His speed and balance set him apart from other talents at the same age and is only lacking physical stature, which is another reason why his progress is being monitored so closely.
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026
In 1604, Galileo’s stature increased still further when the supernova studied by Kepler appeared in the sky in October.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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.
