GREAT Definition & Meaning

View synonyms for

great

[ greyt ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

greater, greatest.

unusually or comparatively large in size or dimensions:
A great fire destroyed nearly half the city.
Synonyms: , , , , ,
Antonyms:
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:
highly significant or consequential; important:
the great issues in American history.
Synonyms: , , , ,
Antonyms:
distinguished; famous:
a great inventor.
Synonyms: , , , , ,
Antonyms:
of noble or lofty character:
great thoughts.
Synonyms: , ,
chief or principal:
the great hall;
his greatest novel.
Synonyms: , ,
of high rank, official position, or social standing:
a great noble.
Antonyms:
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.
1. enthusiastic about some specified activity (usually followed by at, for, or on ):
  He's great on reading poetry aloud.
2. 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.
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

(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.

great-

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

/ ɡ��ɪ�� /

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
1. of exceptional talents or achievements; remarkable
  a great writer
2. ( 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
he's not a great one for reading
what a great buffoon
often foll by at skilful or adroit
you are great at singing
a great carpenter
informal.
excellent; fantastic
informal.
(intensifier)
a dirty great smack in the face
archaic.
postpositivefoll bywith
1. pregnant
  great with child
2. full (of)
  great with hope
(intensifier, used in mild oaths)
Great Scott!
be great on informal.
1. to be informed about
2. to be enthusiastic about or for

adverb

informal.
very well; excellently
it was working great

noun

Also calledgreat organ the principal manual on an organ Compare choir swell

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Derived Forms

ˈ��𲹳ٲԱ��, noun
ˈ��𲹳ٱ��, adverb

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Other �y��vlog Forms

��𲹳�·�Ա�� noun
half-great adjective
��·��·��𲹳� adjective
��·��·��𲹳�·ly adverb
��ܲ�·��-��𲹳� adjective
��ܲ�·��-��𲹳�·ly adverb

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of great¹

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

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of great¹

Old English ��ŧ��; related to Old Frisian ��, Old High German ��ō��; see grit , groat

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Idioms and Phrases

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

More idioms and phrases containing great

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

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

“When you do make contact in the sweet spot, you want the best results. And when you’re hitting two circular things together at 100 mph, you want to make sure that impact zone is greater.”

From

Speaking to an audience Tuesday, Rivkin said the studio trade group, along with its guild and union partners, would be “pushing for greater action at the federal level this year.”

From

The tariffs give us great power to negotiate.

From

"It's great that they've increased the minimum wage because people should be paid more, and food costs more," said Mr Kelly.

From

Professor Mark Burchell, Professor of Space Science at the University of Kent, told the New Scientist magazine that a Moon hit would be "a great experiment and a perfect opportunity".

From

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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 .��

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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