Great Definition & Meaning - Adjective

American

British

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Usage

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms great American [greyt] / greɪt /

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.

idioms

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

great 1 British / 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

"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

adverb

1. informal very well; excellently

   it was working great

"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

noun

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

"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 great- 2 British

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 )

"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 great More Idioms

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

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

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

Etymology

Origin of great

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

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.

The great powers were too nervous about the dangers that a localised, conventional war might turn into a nuclear one.

From BBC

Added Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds: “They have a great quarterback, great receivers as well, but I feel like we match up pretty well with them.”

From Los Angeles Times

"I think the symbolism of the royal yacht arriving into Galway Bay is not good," he said, with "good" replacing the crossed-out word "great".

From BBC

Somaliland has been diplomatically isolated since its unilateral declaration of independence, even if it has generally experienced greater stability than Somalia, where Al-Shabaab Islamic militants periodically mount attacks in the capital Mogadishu.

From Barron's

Zoom meetings are a great commute killer, but are we going back to a synchronous lifestyle?

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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

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.