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magnify

/ˈmæɡnɪfaɪ/·verb

Animated scene
Fig. 1 — A row of specks, each too small to make out, sits along a line.
01Definition

To magnify is to make something look bigger without changing the thing itself — the work a lens does, enlarging the appearance of what is under it. From Latin magnificare, 'to make great' (the magnus family that also gives magnitude and magnate), it carries a second, figurative sense: to magnify a risk or a fear is to make it loom larger than it really is, often unhelpfully. In that mood it shades toward amplify and exaggerate. A magnifying glass magnifies print; anxiety magnifies problems.

02In use
  • iUnder the lens, a single grain of sand is magnified into a boulder.
  • iiRumour tends to magnify a small setback into a disaster, much as a poor forecast can amplify public fear.
  • iiiThe telescope magnifies distant light many thousands of times.
03Collocations
  • magnify the risk
  • magnify the effect
  • a magnifying glass
  • magnify a problem
  • greatly magnified

Family magnification (noun) · magnifier (noun) · magnified (adjective)

04Relations

=amplify, enlarge, exaggerate, intensify, heighten

≠diminish, minimize, understate

06TOEFL & IELTS

Magnify carries two senses examiners reward when used precisely: the literal optical one (a lens magnifies) and the figurative one — to magnify a risk, fear, or problem is to make it seem bigger than it is, usually a criticism. That negative colour is the useful nuance; keep it distinct from amplify (to increase strength or volume, often of sound or a signal). Pronounce it MAG-ni-fy, with the g sounded. The noun is magnification.

07Asked
What does magnify mean?
Magnify has two senses. Literally, to magnify is to make something look bigger — the job a lens does, enlarging the appearance of what is under it. Figuratively, to magnify something is to make it seem greater or more important than it really is, as when you magnify a fear or a mistake.
Does magnify mean to exaggerate?
In its figurative sense, yes — to magnify a problem, risk, or fear is to make it loom larger than it truly is, usually a mild criticism. The scene above shows the literal version instead: a lens makes a tiny speck look huge, though the speck itself never changes size. Both senses are 'making bigger'; one is real, one is only apparent.
How do you pronounce magnify?
It is MAG-ni-fy — /ˈmæɡnɪfaɪ/ — with the stress on the first syllable, the g clearly sounded, and the ending '-fy' rhyming with 'fly'. The related noun magnification keeps the g and adds a fourth syllable: mag-ni-fi-CA-tion.
What does 'magnify the Lord' mean?
This is an older, religious use of magnify meaning to declare or praise as great, not to enlarge physically — 'my soul magnifies the Lord' means 'my soul proclaims the Lord's greatness'. It reflects the Latin root magnificare, 'to make great', the same root behind magnitude and magnificent.
What is the difference between magnify and amplify?
Magnify is to make something bigger or appear bigger — in size, in importance, or under a lens. Amplify is to increase strength, volume, or intensity, especially of sound or a signal. You magnify a risk or an image; you amplify a guitar or a message. They overlap around 'making more', but magnify leans visual and amplify leans on power.
Where does magnify come from, and what are magnitude, magnificent and magnate?
All share the Latin magnus, 'great'. Magnify is from magnificare, 'to make great'; magnitude is greatness of size; magnificent is grand or splendid; a magnate is a great, powerful figure in business. Spotting the magn- root is a quick way to remember the whole family points back to bigness.