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.
“I think an ADU is a great long-term solution,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
But competition is pretty great among U.S. tech firms and, even more virulently, between U.S. firms and Chinese ones.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
"The same way you are familiar with your family members or best friend's handwriting - the handling of the paint, the way it was presented all spoke instantly of the great master Joan Eardley."
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
“To move from the center of Los Angeles in the city to one of five suburbs that had great public schools, I was nervous,” recalls Farr.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026
I still had a great deal of little-sister worship for this big brother, five years older than I, an ordained minister and the only ten Boom who had ever been to college.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
