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.
The first few hundred pages were great, but at some point it became evident that the rest was going to describe in great detail the outcome named in the subtitle: the fall of New York.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
“I had a great time playing him,” Meloni said in his Instagram message.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
"It just goes to show that the organisation hasn't been great."
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026
Each side has, in theory, a great deal to gain.
From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026
Gingersnipes said, “And that’s great for you, rock belly, but you are a tortoise and Clare is a fox. Different, see? Foxes love their mothers, and tortoises throw themselves parties for simply being alive.”
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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