great

[ greyt ]

/ greɪt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR great ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, great·er, great·est.

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; first-rate; very good: We had a great time. That's great!

being such in an extreme or notable degree: great friends; a great talker.

notable; remarkable; exceptionally outstanding: a great occasion.

important; highly significant or consequential: the great issues in American history.

distinguished; famous: 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.

enthusiastic about some specified activity (usually followed by at, for, or on): He's great on reading poetry aloud.
skillful; expert (usually followed by at or on): He's great at golf.

being of one generation more remote from the family relative specified (used in combination): a great-grandson.

adverb

Informal. very well: Things have been going great for him.

noun, plural greats, (especially collectively) great.

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.

(often initial capital letter) greats, (used with a singular verb) Also called great go. British Informal.

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.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?

Question 1 of 10

decorum

the act of or need for making up one's mind.

dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.

a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.

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Idioms for great

great with child, being in the late stages of pregnancy.

Origin of great

before 900; Middle English greet, Old English grēat; cognate with Dutch groot, German gross

SYNONYMS FOR great

1 immense, enormous, gigantic, huge, vast, grand. Great, big, large refer to size, extent, and degree. In reference to the size and extent of concrete objects, big is the most general and most colloquial word, large is somewhat more formal, and great is highly formal and even poetic, suggesting also that the object is notable or imposing: a big tree; a large tree; a great oak; a big field; a large field; great plains. When the reference is to degree or a quality, great is the usual word: great beauty; great mistake; great surprise; although big sometimes alternates with it in colloquial style: a big mistake; a big surprise; large is not used in reference to degree, but may be used in a quantitative reference: a large number ( great number ).

6 noteworthy.

7 weighty, serious, momentous, vital, critical.

8 famed, eminent, noted, notable, prominent, renowned.

9 elevated, exalted, dignified.

10 main, grand, leading.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR great ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR great

1 small.

6–8, 10, 11, 14 insignificant.

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OTHER WORDS FROM great

great·ness, nounhalf-great, adjectiveo·ver·great, adjectiveo·ver·great·ly, adverb

o·ver·great·ness, nounqua·si-great, adjectivequa·si-great·ly, adverb

Words nearby great

greasewood, greasies, greasy, greasy spoon, greasy wool, great, great abaco, great ajax, great ape, great attractor, great auk

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for greatness

He appeared to understand however belatedly that he was in the presence of another kind of greatness.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But hopefully the greatness of the series will be memorialized, too.
'The Newsroom' Ended As It Began: Weird, Controversial, and Noble|Kevin Fallon|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hershel also believes that a higher power has destined Rick for greatness.
The Walking Dead’s Luke Skywalker: Rick Grimes Is the Perfect Modern-Day Mythical Hero|Regina Lizik|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
King had accomplished much, but his greatness was already behind him.
Tavis Smiley Humanely Chronicles MLK’s Sad Last Year|Scott Porch|October 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

No matter that Williams was a guest artist that week, Winkler knew he was observing “greatness.”
How Mork Melted the Fonz: Henry Winkler Recalls Robin Williams’s Storming ‘Happy Days’ Debut|Tim Teeman|August 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was a picture she had seen only in her dreams, convincing in its greatness, dwarfing all else with its might.
The Song of Songs|Hermann Sudermann
People were diverted at sight of this, inferring from the number of coffins the greatness of the spectacle.
Quo Vadis|Henryk Sienkiewicz
Francis went away, to build his chapel and sing in the Provençal speech hymns in honor of God and of love for his greatness.
Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 15|Various
We ought not to seek after greatness, but after goodness and saintliness.
The Religious Spirit of the Slavs (1916)|Nikolai Velimirovic
I was thinking a great deal of you, and in my head I raised the scaffolding of your future greatness.
Caught In The Net|Emile Gaboriau

British Dictionary definitions for greatness

great

/ (ɡreɪt) /

adjective

relatively large in size or extent; big

relatively large in number; having many parts or membersa great assembly

of relatively long durationa great wait

of larger size or more importance than others of its kindthe great auk

extreme or more than usualgreat worry

of significant importance or consequencea great decision

of exceptional talents or achievements; remarkablea great writer
(as noun)the great; one of the greats

arising from or possessing idealism in thought, action, etc; heroicgreat deeds

illustrious or eminenta great history

impressive or strikinga great show of wealth

much in use; favouredpoetry was a great convention of the Romantic era

active or enthusiastica great walker

doing or exemplifying (a characteristic or pursuit) on a large scalewhat a great buffoon; he's not a great one for reading

(often foll by at) skilful or adroita great carpenter; you are great at singing

informal excellent; fantastic

British informal (intensifier)a dirty great smack in the face

(postpositive foll by with) archaic

pregnantgreat with child
full (of)great with hope

(intensifier, used in mild oaths)Great Scott!

be great on informal

to be informed about
to be enthusiastic about or for

adverb

informal very well; excellentlyit was working great

noun

Also called: great organ the principal manual on an organCompare choir (def. 4), swell (def. 16)

Derived forms of great

greatly, adverbgreatness, noun

Word Origin for great

Old English grēat; related to Old Frisian grāt, Old High German grōz; see grit, groat

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with greatness

great

In addition to the idioms beginning with great

great deal
great guns
great many
great minds run in the same channel, all
great shakes
great white hope

also see:

good (great) deal
good (great) many
go to any length (great lengths)
have a good (great) mind to
make great strides
no great shakes
set (great) store by

MEANINGS

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WORD OF THE DAY

great

adjective, great·er, great·est.

adverb

noun, plural greats, (especially collectively) great.

interjection

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

Idioms for great

Origin of great

SYNONYMS FOR great

ANTONYMS FOR great

OTHER WORDS FROM great

Words nearby great

Example sentences from the Web for greatness

British Dictionary definitions for greatness

adjective

adverb

noun

Derived forms of great

Word Origin for great

Idioms and Phrases with greatness

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

great

adjective, great·er, great·est.

adverb

noun, plural greats, (especially collectively) great.

interjection

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

Idioms for great

Origin of great

SYNONYMS FOR great

ANTONYMS FOR great

OTHER WORDS FROM great

Words nearby great

Words related to greatness

Example sentences from the Web for greatness

British Dictionary definitions for greatness

adjective

adverb

noun

Derived forms of great

Word Origin for great

Idioms and Phrases with greatness