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.
"Paraguay is a great team and really good test," Pulisic told AFP.
From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026
"We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran," he told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026
“But what’s great about the human experience is: Anything can happen.”
From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026
During one of the great New York sports parties of the century, they were fast asleep.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
Through the years he took his stopped watches to “the One who set the atoms dancing,” or “who keeps the great currents circling through the sea.”
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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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