orders of magnitude
Say it: OR-duhz of MAG-nih-tyood /ˌɔːdəz əv ˈmaɡnɪtjuːd/ · noun
What “orders of magnitude” means
Size differences measured in factors of ten.
More precisely: Factors of ten; something two orders of magnitude bigger is about a hundred times bigger.
Example: “Streaming made distributing music orders of magnitude cheaper than pressing CDs.”
When to use it
In science or emphatic comparisons, when something differs by factors of ten, rather than being just a little bigger.
Memory trick
One order means ten times; two orders mean a hundred times.
Similar words
factors of ten, scale
Quick check
One sensor detects a hundred times less material than another. What describes the scale of that difference?
percentage points or orders of magnitude?
Show the answer
orders of magnitude
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