Meaning & use
stature
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Meanings
noununcountableformal
The respect and importance a person or institution has earned through ability, achievement or reputation.
Grammar: Used without an article: a woman of stature.
Patterns
- a person of stature
- gain stature
- grow in stature
The judge was a person of great stature in the community.
Her stature as a scientist grew after the discovery.
The scandal reduced the club's stature.
noununcountableformal
A person's natural height when standing.
Grammar: Formal or literary: small in stature.
Patterns
- small in stature
- of short stature
The gymnast was small in stature but extremely strong.
He was a man of average stature with a quiet voice.
The doctor said short stature runs in the family.
Common combinations
- small in stature
- The actor was small in stature but commanding.
- international stature
- She is a scientist of international stature.
- gain stature
- The young leader began to gain stature.
- moral stature
- The speech showed his moral stature.
- short stature
- Short stature is common in the family.
- grow in stature
- The company has grown in stature.
Synonyms and how they differ
- standing
- Standing is more everyday and means position in society, while stature adds the idea of respect earned.
- prestige
- Prestige stresses glamour and admiration, while stature stresses real importance and ability.
- height
- Height just measures how tall someone is, but stature can also refer to reputation.
- eminence
- Eminence is more formal and implies being highly distinguished in a field.
Opposites
Word family
- statuesque adjective
- tall and gracefully dignified like a statue
- status noun
- a person's position in society or a state of affairs
- statue noun
- a carved or cast figure
- statute noun
- a written law
Commonly confused: stature or statue? stature or statute?
stature vs statue
A statue is a figure carved or cast in stone or metal, while stature is a person's height or reputation.
stature vs statute
A statute is a written law, not a measure of height or respect.
Practice
The professor was small in ___, yet her opinion carried huge weight in the field.
Choose one answer.
Small in stature means short in height, and stature is the word used for both height and reputation. Statue and statute look similar but have different meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stature”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.