great

[greyt]

adjective

greater, greatest 

1. unusually or comparatively large in size or dimensions.

   A great fire destroyed nearly half the city.

   Synonyms: grand, vast, vast, huge, gigantic, enormous, immense
   Antonyms: small

2. large in number; numerous.

   Great hordes of tourists descend on Europe each summer.

3. unusual or considerable in degree, power, intensity, etc..

   great pain.

4. wonderful; very good; first-rate.

   We had a great time.

   That's great!

5. being such in an extreme or notable degree.

   great friends;

   a great talker.

6. exceptionally outstanding; notable; remarkable.

   a great occasion.

   Synonyms: noteworthy

7. highly significant or consequential; important.

   the great issues in American history.

   Synonyms: critical, vital, momentous, serious, weighty
   Antonyms: insignificant

8. distinguished; famous.

   a great inventor.

   Synonyms: prominent, notable, noted, eminent, famed, renowned
   Antonyms: insignificant

9. of noble or lofty character.

   great thoughts.

   Synonyms: dignified, exalted, elevated

10. chief or principal.

    the great hall;

    his greatest novel.

    Synonyms: leading, grand, main

11. of high rank, official position, or social standing.

    a great noble.

    Antonyms: insignificant

12. much in use or favor.

    “Humor” was a great word with the old physiologists.

13. of extraordinary powers; having unusual merit; very admirable.

    a great statesman.

14. of considerable duration or length.

    We waited a great while for the train.

15. Informal.

    1. enthusiastic about some specified activity (usually followed by at, for, oron ).

       He's great on reading poetry aloud.

    2. skillful; expert (usually followed by at oron ).

       He's great at golf.

16. being of one generation more remote from the family relative specified (used in combination).

    a great-grandson.

adverb

1. Informal.,  very well.

   Things have been going great for him.

noun

plural

greats ,

plural

great .

1. a person who has achieved importance or distinction in a field.

   She is one of the theater's greats.

2. great persons, collectively.

   England's literary great.

3. Also called great go. (often initial capital letter),  greats,

   1. the final examination for the bachelor's degree in the classics and mathematics, or Literae Humaniores, especially at Oxford University and usually for honors.

   2. the course of study.

   3. the subject studied.

interjection

1. (used to express acceptance, appreciation, approval, admiration, etc.)

2. (used ironically or facetiously to express disappointment, annoyance, distress, etc.).

   Great! We just missed the last train home.

great

¹

/ ɡreɪt /

adjective

1. relatively large in size or extent; big

2. relatively large in number; having many parts or members

   a great assembly

3. of relatively long duration

   a great wait

4. of larger size or more importance than others of its kind

   the great auk

5. extreme or more than usual

   great worry

6. of significant importance or consequence

   a great decision

7. 1. of exceptional talents or achievements; remarkable

      a great writer

   2. ( as noun )

      the great

      one of the greats

8. arising from or possessing idealism in thought, action, etc; heroic

   great deeds

9. illustrious or eminent

   a great history

10. impressive or striking

    a great show of wealth

11. much in use; favoured

    poetry was a great convention of the Romantic era

12. active or enthusiastic

    a great walker

13. doing or exemplifying (a characteristic or pursuit) on a large scale

    what a great buffoon

    he's not a great one for reading

14. (often foll by at) skilful or adroit

    a great carpenter

    you are great at singing

15. informal,  excellent; fantastic

16. informal,  (intensifier)

    a dirty great smack in the face

17. archaic

    1. pregnant

       great with child

    2. full (of)

       great with hope

18. (intensifier, used in mild oaths)

    Great Scott!

19. informal

    1. to be informed about

    2. to be enthusiastic about or for

adverb

1. informal,  very well; excellently

   it was working great

noun

1. Also called: great organ. the principal manual on an organ Compare choir swell

great-

²

prefix

1. being the parent of a person's grandparent (in the combinations great-grandfather, great-grandmother, great-grandparent )

2. being the child of a person's grandchild (in the combinations great-grandson, great-granddaughter, great-grandchild )

Other Word Forms

• greatness noun
• greatly adverb
• half-great adjective
• overgreat adjective
• overgreatly adverb
• quasi-great adjective
• quasi-greatly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of great¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of great¹

Old English grēat; related to Old Frisian grāt, Old High German grōz; see _grit , _groat

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

More idioms and phrases containing great

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

Example Sentences

“I went with my stepdaughter and we went on that ride and it’s great,” Slash says.

From Los Angeles Times

“This year has been pretty miserable year politically, so this tour has come along and been great distraction. Oasis has always been a band people were fiercely proud of, and this is like going to football game where 80,000 people are rooting for same team.”

From Los Angeles Times

They serve “global liberalism” and “global capital” and support mass migration, he continued, a nod to the “great replacement” theory, which blames Jews for replacing white Americans with nonwhite immigrants.

From Slate

The Federal Reserve’s loss of independence during this period contributed significantly to the economic period now known as the Great Inflation.

From Slate

Inflation ballooned, business investment stalled, and unemployment reached its highest levels since the Great Depression.

From Slate

Related Words

• excellent 
• famous 
• fine 
• glorious 
• grand 
• heroic 
• impressive 
• major 
• major-league 
• outstanding 
• remarkable 
• talented 

When To Use

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.