Great Definition and Meaning
By Fiza Rafique & Urooj Arif — Published on April 10, 2025
Great means of an extent, amount, or intensity considerably above the normal or average. e.g., The scientist made a great discovery that changed the field.
Table of Contents
ADVERTISEMENT
Great Definitions
Being such in an extreme or notable degree.
The project was a great success, exceeding all expectations.
Significant in importance or interest.
The meeting addressed issues of great concern.
Superior in quality or character; excellent.
She is known for her great baking skills.
Remarkable in magnitude, degree, or effectiveness.
The medicine had a great effect on the patient's health.
Much above the ordinary or average.
He showed great courage during the rescue.
ADVERTISEMENT
Eminent; distinguished; renowned.
Many great artists have struggled for recognition.
Used in names to distinguish the larger from the similar smaller kind.
The Great Dane is one of the largest dog breeds.
Enthusiastic or considerable in degree.
There's great interest in renewable energy sources now.
Large in size, extent, or capacity.
They live in a great house with many rooms.
Intense or extreme in nature.
After the win, the team felt great joy.
Very large in size, extent, or intensity
A great pile of rubble.
A great storm.
Of a larger size than other, similar forms
The great anteater.
Large in quantity or number
A great throng awaited us.
Extensive in time or distance
A great delay.
A great way off.
Remarkable or outstanding in magnitude, degree, or extent
A great crisis.
Great anticipation.
Of outstanding significance or importance
A great work of art.
Chief or principal
The great house on the estate.
Superior in quality or character; noble
A great man who dedicated himself to helping others.
Powerful; influential
One of the great nations of the West.
Eminent; distinguished
A great leader.
Very good; first-rate
We had a great time at the dance.
Very skillful
She is great at algebra.
Enthusiastic
A great lover of music.
Being one generation removed from the relative specified. Often used in combination
A great-granddaughter.
(Archaic) Pregnant.
Pl. greats or great One that is great
A composer considered among the greats.
A division of most pipe organs, usually containing the most powerful ranks of pipes.
A similar division of other organs.
Very well
Got along great with the teacher.
Used as an intensive with certain adjectives
A great big kiss.
(augmentative) Large, senior high-ranking, intense, extreme, or exceptional
Relatively large in scale, size, extent, number (i.e. having many parts or members) or duration (i.e. relatively long); very big.
A great storm is approaching our shores.
A great assembly
A great wait
Title referring to an important leader.
Alexander the Great
Of larger size or more importance than others of its kind.
The great auk
(informal) Very good; excellent; wonderful; fantastic.
Dinner was great.
Intensifying a word or expression, used in mild oaths.
A dirty great smack in the face
Great Scott!
(qualifying nouns of family relationship) Involving more generations than the qualified word implies — as many extra generations as repetitions of the word great (from 1510s). [see Derived terms]
Great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather, great-great-great-grandfather
Pregnant; large with young; full of.
Great with child
Great with hope
Intimate; familiar.
Extreme or more than usual.
Great worry
Of significant importance or consequence; important.
A great decision
(applied to actions, thoughts and feelings) Arising from or possessing idealism; admirable; superior; commanding; heroic; illustrious; eminent.
A great deed
A great nature
A great history
Impressive or striking.
A great show of wealth
Much in use; favoured.
Poetry was a great convention of the Romantic era.
(applied to persons) Endowed with extraordinary powers; of exceptional talents or achievements; uncommonly gifted; able to accomplish vast results; remarkable; strong; powerful; mighty; noble.
A great hero, scholar, genius, philosopher, writer etc.
Doing or exemplifying (a characteristic or pursuit) on a large scale; active or enthusiastic.
What a great buffoon!
He's not a great one for reading.
A great walker
(often followed by 'at') Skilful or adroit.
A great carpenter
You are great at singing.
Expression of gladness and content about something.
Great! Thanks for the wonderful work.
Sarcastic inversion thereof.
Oh, great! I just dumped all 500 sheets of the manuscript all over and now I have to put them back in order.
A person of major significance, accomplishment or acclaim.
Newton and Einstein are two of the greats of the history of science.
(music) The main division in a pipe organ, usually the loudest division.
(in combinations such as "two-greats", "three-greats" etc.) An instance of the word "great" signifying an additional generation in phrases expressing family relationships.
My three-greats grandmother.
(informal) Very well in a very satisfactory manner.
Those mechanical colored pencils work great because they don't have to be sharpened.
Large in space; of much size; big; immense; enormous; expanded; - opposed to small and little; as, a great house, ship, farm, plain, distance, length.
Large in number; numerous; as, a great company, multitude, series, etc.
Long continued; lengthened in duration; prolonged in time; as, a great while; a great interval.
Superior; admirable; commanding; - applied to thoughts, actions, and feelings.
Endowed with extraordinary powers; uncommonly gifted; able to accomplish vast results; strong; powerful; mighty; noble; as, a great hero, scholar, genius, philosopher, etc.
Holding a chief position; elevated: lofty: eminent; distinguished; foremost; principal; as, great men; the great seal; the great marshal, etc.
He doth object I am too great of birth.
Entitled to earnest consideration; weighty; important; as, a great argument, truth, or principle.
Pregnant; big (with young).
The ewes great with young.
More than ordinary in degree; very considerable in degree; as, to use great caution; to be in great pain.
We have allGreat cause to give great thanks.
Older, younger, or more remote, by single generation; - often used before grand to indicate one degree more remote in the direct line of descent; as, great-grandfather (a grandfather's or a grandmother's father), great-grandson, etc.
The whole; the gross; as, a contract to build a ship by the great.
Relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind;
A great juicy steak
A great multitude
The great auk
A great old oak
A great ocean liner
A great delay
More than usual;
Great expectations
Great worry
(used of persons) standing above others in character or attainment or reputation;
Our distinguished professor
An eminent scholar
A great statesman
Of major significance or importance;
A great work of art
Einstein was one of the outstanding figures of the 20th century
Remarkable or out of the ordinary in degree or magnitude or effect;
A great crisis
Had a great stake in the outcome
Very good;
He did a bully job
A neat sports car
Had a great time at the party
You look simply smashing
Uppercase;
Capital A
Great A
Many medieval manuscripts are in majuscule script
Marked by active interest and enthusiasm;
An avid sports fan
A great walker
An eager beaver
In an advanced stage of pregnancy;
Was big with child
Was great with child
Great Snonyms
Immense
Extremely large or great.
The universe is immense, beyond human comprehension.
Exceptional
Unusually excellent; superior.
His exceptional skills earned him a place in the national team.
Remarkable
Worthy of attention; striking.
The scientist's work made a remarkable contribution to biology.
Prodigious
Impressively great in size, force, or extent.
The artist has a prodigious talent for painting.
Marvellous
Causing great wonder; extraordinary.
The magic show was absolutely marvelous.
Tremendous
Very great in amount, scale, or intensity.
She felt tremendous relief when she found her lost dog.
Outstanding
Markedly superior in quality; standing out from others.
The student's outstanding performance earned her several scholarships.
Magnificent
Impressively beautiful, elaborate, or extravagant.
The palace gardens are truly magnificent.
Superb
Of the highest quality; grand; splendid.
The orchestra gave a superb performance last night.
Substantial
Of considerable importance, size, or worth.
They made a substantial profit from the sale.
Great Idioms & Phrases
Great minds think alike
Used to emphasize a coincidence of thought between two people.
You brought pizza too? Great minds think alike!
To the great outdoors
Referring to nature and outdoor activities.
Every summer, they head to the great outdoors for camping.
With great power comes great responsibility
Having power or authority also means having significant responsibility.
As the new CEO, remember, with great power comes great responsibility.
A great deal
A large amount or extent.
He spends a great deal of time reading.
Great with child
Pregnant, especially noticeably or heavily.
She was great with child when they moved to the new city.
Have a great time
To enjoy oneself greatly.
They had a great time at the amusement park.
The Great Unknown
Something that is unknown or uncertain.
He ventured into the great unknown after graduation.
Do great guns
To proceed or perform with great speed or energy.
The new project is going great guns.
On a great scale
Involving many people or a large area; extensively.
The festival was celebrated on a great scale.
Great Scott!
An exclamation of surprise or amazement.
Great Scott! You've solved the problem!
In great spirits
To be in a very cheerful or happy mood.
Despite the weather, everyone was in great spirits.
Make great strides
To improve significantly or make significant progress.
The team has made great strides in their research.
From small beginnings come great things
Significant achievements often start with humble origins.
The company now employs thousands, proving from small beginnings come great things.
Great minds run in the same channel
Similar to "great minds think alike," indicating similar thought processes.
You chose the same color! Great minds run in the same channel.
To feel great
To feel very good or in high spirits.
After the jog, I felt great.
No great shakes
Not particularly good or impressive.
His performance was no great shakes.
A cut above the great unwashed
Superior to the ordinary or the mass of people.
The elite club considered its members a cut above the great unwashed.
A great catch
An excellent partner or opportunity.
She's a great catch, you know.
Great Example Sentences
They celebrated the victory with great enthusiasm.
The explorer was known for his great adventures.
His great ambition led him to start his own company.
The invention had a great impact on society.
She took great care in preparing the meal.
She has a great understanding of mathematics.
He showed great skill in solving the problem.
The storm caused great damage to the coastal area.
The documentary offered great insight into the issue.
She felt great pride in her achievements.
The festival was a great opportunity to learn about other cultures.
They expressed great sorrow over the loss.
The artist received great acclaim for his work.
The novel was a great success among readers.
The project requires a great amount of detail.
Common Curiosities
How many syllables are in great?
Great has one syllable.
How do we divide great into syllables?
Great is a single-syllable word, so it is not divided.
Why is it called great?
"Great" originates from the Old English "grēat," meaning "big, thick, coarse, stout, severe," reflecting its use to describe something large in size or extent.
What is the verb form of great?
"Great" is an adjective and does not have a verb form. Related verbs might include "to enlarge" or "to enhance," depending on the context.
What is a stressed syllable in great?
The entire word "great" is stressed, as it consists of only one syllable.
What is the pronunciation of great?
Great is pronounced as /greɪt/.
What is the root word of great?
The root of "great" is the Old English word "grēat."
What is another term for great?
Another term for "great" could be "tremendous" or "exceptional."
How is great used in a sentence?
"Great" is used to describe something of large size, extent, quality, or intensity, e.g., She achieved great success.
What is the plural form of great?
As an adjective, "great" does not have a plural form and remains unchanged regardless of the noun it modifies.
Is great a noun or adjective?
"Great" is primarily an adjective.
Is great an adverb?
No, "great" is not an adverb. The adverbial form would be "greatly."
What is the singular form of great?
"Great" does not change between singular and plural; it modifies both singular and plural nouns without changing form.
Is great a collective noun?
No, "great" is not a collective noun.
Is the great term a metaphor?
"Great" can be used metaphorically to signify something of notable significance or quality.
Is the word great a Gerund?
No, "great" is an adjective and does not have a gerund form.
Is the word “great” a Direct object or an Indirect object?
"Great" as an adjective cannot be a direct or indirect object; it describes nouns.
Which vowel is used before great?
Since "great" starts with a consonant sound, "a" is used as the indefinite article, e.g., "a great achievement."
Is great a vowel or consonant?
The first letter of "great," G, is a consonant.
Is the word great imperative?
As an adjective, "great" cannot form an imperative mood; it describes rather than commands.
Which article is used with great?
The definite article "the" or the indefinite article "a" can be used with "great," depending on the context, e.g., "a great opportunity," "the great outdoors."
What part of speech is great?
"Great" is an adjective.
Is great an abstract noun?
"Great" is an adjective; "greatness" would be its noun form, which can be considered abstract.
Which conjunction is used with great?
Conjunctions such as "and" or "but" can connect clauses or phrases involving "great," e.g., "great strength and courage."
What is the opposite of great?
The opposite of "great" could be "inferior," "small," or "insignificant."
Is great a negative or positive word?
"Great" generally has a positive connotation, implying something superior or above average.
Is great a countable noun?
"Great" is an adjective, not a noun, so it is not countable.
Which determiner is used with great?
Determiners such as "the," "a," and possessive pronouns like "my" or "your" can precede "great," depending on the context.
Which preposition is used with great?
Prepositions like "with," "in," and "of" can be used with "great," depending on the context, e.g., "with great pleasure," "in great detail," "of great importance."
Share Your Discovery
Previous Term
Salient Definition and Meaning
Next Term
Enunciate Definition and MeaningAuthor Spotlight
Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
