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:
Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb seems to take great delight in insulting you, especially after the politician River was supposed to protect gets hit on the head by a pot of paint and dies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
"It is a terrible movie but has a great name," another comment linking the movie to stock investments said.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
The timing wasn’t great given the pressures facing home construction, but pent-up residential construction demand is certainly there.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
It wasn’t great on the body, but yeah, I’ve had a lot of experience running.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
The depth isn’t great, but the patch of quicksand is frightening.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Through 1953 National League Rookie of the Year Jim Gilliam, who spent three seasons with the Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro Leagues before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, Baker met several Negro League greats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
It takes over an hour for the whole procession to pass any one spot on the mountain, and they’re all but guaranteed to watch greats such as four-time champion Tadej Pogacar in full flow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 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
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
Bobby soaked sometimes for hours as he became engrossed in the games of the greats, only emerging from the water, prune-like, when Regina insisted.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Fraud, a greater value placed on insider knowledge, and a longer shelf life for bad corporate strategy would be “bogies of the slower reporting cycle,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Government officials says the plan would "make bills fairer and more affordable while encouraging greater water efficiency".
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
"At the same time, we see the exact opposite direction demographically" as religious Jews become a greater proportion of the population, she said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
The Chosen Ones Espenson cites are part of a destiny ordained either by their bloodline or some greater lineage.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Anger pulses through my veins as the morning sun gets higher, and I walk with greater determination, pulling the donkey and Mother along with me.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
When creating the presidency, one of the Framers’ greatest worries was that holders of the new office would break through all the anti-monarchical provisions of the Constitution to become autocrats.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
In March, a resolution was passed at the United Nations recognising slavery as "the greatest crime against humanity" - though the United States voted against the resolution and every European nation abstained from the vote.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
In those moments, the world’s greatest mathematician offers the models some advice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Because their bodies are still developing, younger generations are expected to experience the greatest lifetime exposure to elevated atmospheric CO2.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026
“The greatest basketball players in the world are great because they practice shooting and dribbling so much it becomes as natural as breathing,” she once told Sydney.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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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