great
Usage
What are other ways to say great?
In reference to the size and extent of concrete objects, great is highly formal and even poetic, suggesting also that the object is notable or imposing, large is only somewhat formal, and big is the most general and most colloquial word: a great oak; a large tree; a big tree; great plains; a large field; a big field. 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 usually not used in reference to degree, but may be used in a quantitative reference: a large number (great number).
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:
So it is great in that respect that you fully understand what the other one is doing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
“One of the great things about using AI is you don’t need to know much,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Check out these maps showing how low water levels on Europe’s great rivers are threatening the continent’s economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
"He turns up for his lessons, he puts great effort in, there's just something about maths he doesn't get. What do we do now?"
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
“Mark ‘No’ if it’s too great a risk, ‘Yes’ if you think she belongs here.”
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
“Now they just added to that, with maybe the best pitcher in the game, certainly one of the greats in this era.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
"That's why you have some of the greats in women's sports. If Title IX and women's sports weren't protected, then you wouldn't hear about any type of women in sport."
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Yet the lasting images from both tournaments are of all-time greats such as Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi dancing on the field.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Argentina players also sang chants which referenced the Falklands and Argentina greats Maradona and Lionel Messi following their dramatic 3-2 win over Egypt in the last 16.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
It wasn’t until the sixth round, at which point Bobby had barely compiled an even score, that he was tested by one of the true greats of the game, David Bronstein of the Soviet Union.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
The risk becomes greater when vegetation and other materials are exceptionally dry, according to Fogarty.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
With drought episodes only expected to increase, operators are banking on better-suited vessels and greater intermodality, or the added use of trains and trucks.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
The department framed its move as driven by “a desire to provide greater liquidity support,” but the step has been widely viewed as a push to stop yields from surging.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
If passed, it would establish a regulatory framework for digital currencies, allowing for greater integration of Bitcoin and its peers into the U.S. economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
“Therefore, the science fair is greater than all other Excelsior endeavors.”
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
Ms. Eubanks calls her failure to remain mentally healthy while giving J. the help he needed “the single greatest disappointment of my life.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
"At that time, my greatest wish was to go out of the countryside, find a job and be able to eat better food."
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
The team also discovered that the brain regions showing the greatest synaptic losses tended to contain high concentrations of receptors for important neurotransmitters, including serotonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
But the Dodgers are the greatest show in baseball, playing before stadiums packed with fans willing to shell out top dollar to see a roster that includes international superstars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
The revolutionary overhaul endowed the Mary Rose with the greatest naval military innovation of its time: hinged gunports.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
Vocabulary lists containing great
Spelling Practice, Unit 8
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Spelling Practice, Unit 8
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Spelling Practice 1, Unit 5
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