great
adjective
unusually or comparatively large in size or dimensions.
great
American
[greyt]
/ greɪt /
adjective
-
greater,
comparative
-
greatest
superlative
-
unusually or comparatively large in size or dimensions.
A great fire destroyed nearly half the city.
- Antonyms:
- small
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- noteworthy
-
highly significant or consequential; important.
the great issues in American history.
- Antonyms:
- insignificant
-
a great inventor.
- Antonyms:
- insignificant
-
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.
- Antonyms:
- insignificant
-
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.
adverb
noun
-
greats,
plural
-
great
plural
-
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.
-
interjection
-
(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.
idioms
great
1
British
/ ɡreɪt /
adjective
-
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
-
adverb
noun
great-
2
British
prefix
-
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 )
great
More Idioms
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
greatnessnoun
-
half-greatadjective
-
overgreatadjective
-
quasi-greatadjective
-
greatlyadverb
-
overgreatlyadverb
-
quasi-greatlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of great
First recorded before 900; Middle English greet, Old English grēat; cognate with Dutch groot, German gross
Explanation
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.
Vocabulary lists containing great
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"This is a great result for us," Jakirovic said after his side threatened to claim all three points in the closing stages against Villa at MKM Stadium.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Reading from the pages, he quotes, “‘His usually great color sense failed him, his fabric sense failed him, and certainly, his sense of how a modern woman dresses after 8 p.m. failed him.”
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
Their health is being closely monitored by veterinarians, but a preliminary check found no burn injuries on the two great apes.
From Barron's ● Sep. 5, 2026
“Cal is a great place to be,” said running back Adam Mohammed, who transferred in from Washington.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
The more we looked around the more we were sure that, like so many others, they had left to join the great exodus westwards, taking with them what they could.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
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
Rogers’ great-, great-, great-grandfather was born enslaved and went on to become a successful lawyer who served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1889 to 1890.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 12, 2021
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
“The greats aren’t perfect. But they do learn from their mistakes.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
The funeral service was held at Sant'Ambrogio Basilica and club greats including Paolo Maldini, Marco van Basten, Clarence Seedorf, Roberto Baggio and Alessandro Costacurta were in attendance.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 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
"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
Faded posters of basketball greats from the 1970s, guys like John “Hondo” Havlicek and Walt “Clyde” Frazier, adorned the walls.
From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben
It was followed by a "second detonation of much greater magnitude," he said, adding that the cause and the material that exploded were still being determined.
From Barron's ● Sep. 5, 2026
"Younger males and females both had more pointed heads, but the head became rounder as the sharks matured. That change was much greater in females."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
Just as importantly, he is being given greater freedom to decide when to move.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
New novelty versions like Mango Cream Chai or Pumpkin Cream Chai offer greater variety.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
No one asked the obvious question: What happens to the great structural position if subprime mortgage borrowers begin to default in greater than expected numbers?
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
The final part of the strategy focuses on organizing healthcare services so that patients at greatest risk can be recognized quickly and receive timely care from both cardiologists and nephrologists.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
"My mum lost the love of her life; my brother and I lost the greatest dad," she wrote.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Tens of thousands of comments on BookTok, a popular book community on TikTok, attest to the popularity of one of Russia's greatest novelists with the social media generation.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
It may have played a part in persuading him to forgo his greatest political opportunity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
To conjure the greatest magic, to command a power beyond human power.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
