unusually or comparatively large in size or dimensions.
A great fire destroyed nearly half the city.
large in number; numerous.
Great hordes of tourists descend on Europe each summer.
unusual or considerable in degree, power, intensity, etc..
great pain.
wonderful; very good; first-rate.
We had a great time.
That's great!
being such in an extreme or notable degree.
great friends;
a great talker.
exceptionally outstanding; notable; remarkable.
a great occasion.
highly significant or consequential; important.
the great issues in American history.
a great inventor.
of noble or lofty character.
great thoughts.
chief or principal.
the great hall;
his greatest novel.
of high rank, official position, or social standing.
a great noble.
much in use or favor.
“Humor” was a great word with the old physiologists.
of extraordinary powers; having unusual merit; very admirable.
a great statesman.
of considerable duration or length.
We waited a great while for the train.
Informal.
being of one generation more remote from the family relative specified (used in combination).
a great-grandson.
a person who has achieved importance or distinction in a field.
She is one of the theater's greats.
great persons, collectively.
England's literary great.
Also called great go. (often initial capital letter) greats,
the final examination for the bachelor's degree in the classics and mathematics, or Literae Humaniores, especially at Oxford University and usually for honors.
the course of study.
the subject studied.
(used to express acceptance, appreciation, approval, admiration, etc.)
(used ironically or facetiously to express disappointment, annoyance, distress, etc.).
Great! We just missed the last train home.
relatively large in size or extent; big
relatively large in number; having many parts or members
a great assembly
of relatively long duration
a great wait
of larger size or more importance than others of its kind
the great auk
extreme or more than usual
great worry
of significant importance or consequence
a great decision
of exceptional talents or achievements; remarkable
a great writer
( as noun )
the great
one of the greats
arising from or possessing idealism in thought, action, etc; heroic
great deeds
illustrious or eminent
a great history
impressive or striking
a great show of wealth
much in use; favoured
poetry was a great convention of the Romantic era
active or enthusiastic
a great walker
doing or exemplifying (a characteristic or pursuit) on a large scale
what a great buffoon
he's not a great one for reading
(often foll by at) skilful or adroit
a great carpenter
you are great at singing
informal excellent; fantastic
informal (intensifier)
a dirty great smack in the face
archaic
pregnant
great with child
full (of)
great with hope
(intensifier, used in mild oaths)
Great Scott!
informal
to be informed about
to be enthusiastic about or for
being the parent of a person's grandparent (in the combinations great-grandfather, great-grandmother, great-grandparent )
being the child of a person's grandchild (in the combinations great-grandson, great-granddaughter, great-grandchild )
What are other ways to say great? Something that is great may be unusually or comparatively large in size or number. How is great different from the adjectives large and big? Find out more on Thesaurus.com.
First recorded before 900; Middle English greet, Old English grēat; cognate with Dutch groot, German gross
As an adjective great describes things that are very good, large, or important — like a great movie, a great forest, or a great battle that changed the course of a war. Great can also be a noun: a person who is a legend in his or her field, like Aretha Franklin, a soul great, or Wayne Gretzky — a hockey great who became known as "the Great One." Only a few people qualify for the distinction of being a great — it takes a remarkable talent that continues to awe people long after the person's heyday.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In his recent book, “Seductive AI,” Mr. Reynolds makes a great argument for chatbot regulation: “AI personalities and their owners should be subjected to fiduciary duty when they interact with users.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Dominic also praised Hardy's work on his last film as "incredibly beautiful", adding it was "a great satisfaction to him" to have made something new.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
“This group was doing great without me,” Garrett said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
Job growth may not be great — but as Fed Chair Kevin Warsh said last week, “job gains have kept pace with the workforce, and the unemployment rate has changed little.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 2, 2026
Clare yelped and lost his balance, tumbling to the floor with a great crash.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
I’ve lived to this age, I’ve seen my seven children grow up, my 21 grandchildren and 65 great- and great-great grandchildren.’
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 5, 2023
Think about that: The most plausible explanation for this series of events is that George Richardson’s father, my great- great-great grandfather, was born aboard a slave ship.
From Slate ● Dec. 19, 2022
My great- grandmother, my grandmother, my father — they inspired me.
From New York Times ● Mar. 16, 2021
John Jeffries, 74, knew Daniel, his great- grandfather, who died at nearly 100 in 1956.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 31, 2016
If she was, that made her our great- great-aunt.
From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck
“Now they just added to that, with maybe the best pitcher in the game, certainly one of the greats in this era.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
Through 1953 National League Rookie of the Year Jim Gilliam, who spent three seasons with the Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro Leagues before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, Baker met several Negro League greats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
It takes over an hour for the whole procession to pass any one spot on the mountain, and they’re all but guaranteed to watch greats such as four-time champion Tadej Pogacar in full flow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
"That's why you have some of the greats in women's sports. If Title IX and women's sports weren't protected, then you wouldn't hear about any type of women in sport."
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
“I hear it happens to all the greats now and again.”
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
Artificial intelligence is profoundly altering the digital universe, with the promise of ever greater computing power.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
A theory’s credibility can increase simply because someone with greater institutional authority has repeated it.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
Though the winds eased late on Saturday, the greater Athens area and nearby Voiotia and the island of Evia were under near maximum fire risk on Sunday, the civil protection ministry said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
It issued an enforcement policy designed to give U.S. financial institutions greater confidence to support Venezuela-related activities authorized by the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
But so much greater her joy when she had him back again.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
The findings also raise the possibility that one of cancer's greatest strengths may eventually be used against it.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026
That might be the greatest testament of all to the Dodgers’ player development system, particularly considering all of their winning means they draft at the end of every round, every year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
One of the greatest mathematicians of his generation is working on AI safety because he believes it’s the most important problem that he can help solve.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
Shankar Mahadevan, one of Bollywood's greatest vocalists, and actress Rashmika Mandanna are set to take to the stage as the baton is passed over.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
“Why—why won’t you let yourself accept this? You could have value! Influence! Power beyond your greatest imagination!”
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
