magnification
Other forms: magnifications
Magnification is the process of making an object appear much larger than it really is. You might use magnification to inspect a rare penny, or even a zit. You decide.
Some small objects, like cells, require magnification to be seen at all. Other things, like distant planets, are so far away that you need the magnification of a telescope to get a good look at them. Binoculars use magnification so you can see the details of birds close-up, and reading glasses use magnification for reading small print. Magnification comes from the Latin word magnificare, "esteem greatly" or "make much of."
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the act of expanding something in apparent size
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type of:
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enlargement, expansion
the act of increasing (something) in size or volume or quantity or scope
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enlargement, expansion
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the ratio of the size of an image to the size of the object
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type of:
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ratio
the relative magnitudes of two quantities (usually expressed as a quotient)
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ratio
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making to seem more important than it really is
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synonyms:
exaggeration, overstatement
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Antonyms:
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understatement
a statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said
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type of:
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deceit, deception, misrepresentation
a misleading falsehood
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understatement
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a photographic print that has been enlarged
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synonyms:
blowup, enlargement
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type of:
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exposure, photo, photograph, pic, picture
a representation of a person or scene in the form of a print or transparent slide; recorded by a camera on light-sensitive material
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exposure, photo, photograph, pic, picture
Vocabulary lists containing magnification
Learn these terms derived from the Latin word magnus, meaning "great."
In this graphic memoir, Cece Bell chronicles the struggles and triumphs of growing up deaf. Learn these words from the award-winning book.
When Earth is destroyed to make way for a freeway, Arthur Dent joins his friend Ford Prefect on a hilarious odyssey through space. Learn these words from the first book in Douglas Adams's popular science fiction series.
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