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 All Creatures Great and Small actor said the support his family received when the show covered his mother's dementia was "enormously moving".
From BBC • Jul. 2, 2026
No wonder so many artists have dropped out of the concert series planned for the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2026
Meanwhile the Great Migration was in full swing as millions of black Americans fled the poverty and oppression of the Jim Crow South for cities in the North.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026
Teachers Cecile Hansen and Peter Helmkamp, who had traveled from Miami, Florida to attend the "Great American State Fair" recommended fans, sunblock, visors, and dipping into air conditioned cafes every 20 minutes.
From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026
Around the island, animals were heading for the Great Meadow.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
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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