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.
Gary tracked down much of the original furniture that British-born furniture designer T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings had designed for the house and bought back about a dozen pieces at great expense.
She was one of the great, singular, unflinching writers of her generation, which included Joan Didion, in relation to whom she had an equal or superior level of talent without the promotional ability.
And I actually think that was a great way to make the album.
From Los Angeles Times
Also heavy weights are industrials and consumer discretionary, which benefit from greater business and consumer spending.
From Barron's
But as great a movie as “Jaws” is, the villain was nature, not the White House.
From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
