great
adjective
unusually or comparatively large in size or dimensions.
great
American
[grayt]
/ 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:
“I’ve hired really great operators,” she said, and at first she had to practice letting them operate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
"There will be ups and downs in the process, but I'm happy because attitude-wise I think he's in a great place."
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
Focusing on thriving in the next 10 years is something that will only happen with innovation and opportunities that are as well-timed as a great joke.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
“We’ve oriented the market to expect something great and new to watch every week, so we have to deliver on quality and quantity always,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
He was always full of good news, and great plans, about how once things had settled down, and he could get leave, he would come back and fetch me.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
He also is the great- great-grandson of Robert Smalls.
From Reuters ● Oct. 10, 2023
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
If she was, that made her our great- great-aunt.
From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck
We instantly knew he was one of the greats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
Buttler is England's best white-ball batter of all-time, while Brook is on the way to being one of their greats.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Despite his tough start on the international stage, Messi went on to become one of the all-time greats, winning the World Cup and two Copa America titles with Argentina.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
A poetic circle: Wynton followed the greats, and posthumously, they followed him back.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 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
The merger would give Musk greater voting control over the combined company than he currently has at Tesla, a factor the special committee assessing the deal would have to consider.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
In November, Maná set the record for most arena performances in the greater L.A. area — 43 — after performing at Inglewood’s Kia Forum, a venue with a capacity of more than 17,000.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
Haines was a vocal champion for greater climate action, better rural healthcare, and help for struggling small businesses.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
Companies with weaker balance sheets and higher sensitivity to rising borrowing costs are receiving greater scrutiny from investors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
This drove Colored Americans to migrate north to greater safety.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Prudential is exiting emerging markets to focus on businesses where it sees the greatest opportunity for long-term growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
There is no shortage of potential big fights, but bringing the champions together before mandatory obligations, rematches and boxing politics get in the way could prove the greatest challenge.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
Recruiting the talented Nghiem was one of the championship team’s greatest successes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026
Getting older is the greatest known risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
He called the greatest minds from all twelve tribes of his people to hear how they thought this problem might be solved.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
