great

Formsgreater, greatest

Pluralgreats

1. 1
   fantasticadjectivecolloquial

   Extremely good; excellent or wonderful.

   The concert last night was absolutely great.

   She thought the new schedule sounded great for everyone.

   UsageCommon in have a great time; sounds great and looks great are everyday replies.

   Similarexcellent, wonderful, fantastic, terrific, superb

   Oppositeterrible, awful, dreadful

2. 2
   very bigadjective

   Large in size, amount, or degree; much more than usual.

   He showed great patience while teaching the beginners.

   Finishing the report on time required a great deal of effort.

   UsageA great deal of goes with uncountable nouns (effort), a great number of with plurals (people).

   Similarconsiderable, large, immense, huge, enormous

   Oppositelittle, small, slight

   Note

   Here the size belongs to things no ruler can measure: worry, patience, effort, a work of scholarship. In 1951, John W. Cline hoped medicine stood on the threshold of "a much greater age." Source

   Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • In 1951, John W. Cline expressed optimism about medicine’s future using the words “a much greater age.” en.wiktionary.org
3. 3
   exclamationinterjection

   Used to express pleasure or satisfaction, or ironically to express annoyance, disappointment, or frustration.

   Great, the package arrived a whole day early.

   Great! I had no idea you were coming to the wedding.

   UsageSaid warmly it shows pleasure; said flatly, as in Oh, great, it signals annoyance.

4. 4
   importantadjective

   Important and having major consequences.

   The treaty marked a great turning point for the region.

   The printing press was one of the great inventions in history, changing how ideas spread.

   Similarmajor, important, significant, momentous, big

   Oppositeminor, insignificant, trivial

   Note

   Here bigness is measured in consequences rather than in space. Addison's Cato (1713) makes the link plain: "the great, th' important Day," a day "big with the Fate" of Rome. Unlike the "excellent" meaning, it implies no approval. A great dilemma is weighty, not welcome. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • Joseph Addison wrote Cato. en.wikisource.org
   • Cato was first published in 1713. grubstreetproject.net
   • The quoted phrases occur together in Cato, describing a day consequential for Rome; Portius speaks them in Act I, scene I. en.wikisource.org
5. 5
   adjective

   Possessing exceptional talent, skill, or achievements.

   Many consider her a great composer of the last century.

   He trained for years before becoming a great surgeon.

   Similaroutstanding, brilliant, eminent, distinguished, accomplished

   Oppositemediocre, poor

6. 6
   do welladverbcolloquial

   In a very satisfactory manner; very well.

   She did great on her final exams this term.

   The new car handles great on the highway.

   UsageFollows the verb in casual speech: did great, works great. In formal writing, well is the safer choice.

   Similarwell, brilliantly, superbly, wonderfully

   Oppositebadly, poorly, terribly

7. 7
   generation markeradjective

   Placed before a term of family relationship to add one further generation of distance for each repetition of the word.

   Her great-grandmother emigrated from Italy in 1910.

   The diaries had belonged to his great-great-grandfather.

   UsageUse hyphens to join great- to family terms: great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather, great-granddaughter.

   Note

   Kinship terms stack it as often as needed, one repetition per generation: great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather, great-great-great-grandfather. Long chains grow unwieldy, which is why family historians often count the greats instead, as in a fourth great-grandfather. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • Each additional great- represents one further generation of ancestry. en.wiktionary.org
8. 8
   noble (ideals)adjective

   Arising from or embodying high ideals; admirable, commanding, and worthy of esteem.

   Giving his whole fortune to build the hospital was a great deed.

   Her letters reveal a great nature, generous and fearless to the very end.

   Similarnoble, admirable, lofty, exalted

   Note

   Nobility is the point here, and it attaches to deeds, natures and histories, and to people admired for them. A great deed is admired for the ideals behind it. When the praise moves to a person's abilities, the word shifts to the "gifted" meaning, as in a great scholar.

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