great-aunt

American  

[greyt-ant, -ahnt] / ˈgreɪtˌænt, -ˌɑnt /

noun

1. a grandaunt.

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great-aunt British  

noun

1. an aunt of one's father or mother; sister of one's grandfather or grandmother

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Etymology

Origin of great-aunt

First recorded in 1650–60

Compare meaning

How does great-aunt compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• great-aunt vs. grandaunt

Example Sentences

They were also third-degree relatives, suggesting a connection such as great-aunt and niece or cousins.

From Science Daily • Feb. 19, 2026

It was my late grandmother and my late great-aunt who found the house in Altadena, but no one knows exactly why they settled there.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 7, 2026

But her life took a devastating turn in September after Saabirin's great-aunt agreed that Diiriye's family, who needed a home help, could take her in.

From BBC • Dec. 28, 2025

The condition runs through the female line - Lucy's mum has IP although isn't blind, her Grandma did too and her great-aunt was blind in one eye.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2025

She had been bitten, once, by an avanc—entirely her own fault, Leonor scolded, for getting too close—and it had gone septic, and her great-aunt had had to sit up with her for seven nights running.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell