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.
Someone who was great fun to be around but also very calm - unless he was playing on the PlayStation.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026
Each side has, in theory, a great deal to gain.
From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026
Fund managers constantly interviewed on TV, with great track records, or both, attract lots of money.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
And while his architecture was his great gift to his adoptive hometown — his art was his gift to himself.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
The adrenaline from saving the red-shoed girl was wearing off, and he’d spent a great deal of energy battling the pull of the Afterlife to make it back to the cottage.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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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