Great vs. Best — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 27, 2023
Great implies being significantly above average in quality or magnitude, while best means superior to all others in terms of quality or performance.
Difference Between Great and Best
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Great refers to a high level of quality, excellence, or magnitude, often above average but not necessarily the highest. Best, however, denotes the highest level of quality, surpassing all others in a particular category.
Something great is commendable and impressive but might not be the top choice or peak performance. On the other hand, the best represents the pinnacle, implying nothing else surpasses it in terms of quality or performance.
In evaluations, something might be deemed great based on its own merits, without comparison to others. Conversely, labeling something as the best usually involves a comparative assessment, indicating it stands out among others.
Great can describe both qualitative and quantitative aspects, like a great distance or a great movie. In contrast, best is more qualitative, focusing on superiority in quality, like the best movie of the year.
Greatness can be subjective, varying based on personal preferences or criteria. Best, although it can have subjective elements, often implies a more objective or widely acknowledged superiority.
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Comparison Chart
Level of Quality
High, above average
Highest, superior
Comparison
May not involve comparison
Involves comparison
Context Usage
Both qualitative and quantitative
Predominantly qualitative
Subjectivity
Can be subjective
Often viewed as more objective
Scope
Broad, various aspects
Specific, focused on superiority
Compare with Definitions
Great
Significantly above average in quality.
She delivered a great speech at the conference.
Best
Most suitable, advantageous, or desirable.
The best route to take is the coastal highway.
Great
Very large in size, extent, or intensity
A great pile of rubble.
A great storm.
Best
Most skilled or talented.
He is the best pianist in the competition.
Great
Of a larger size than other, similar forms
The great anteater.
Best
Of the most excellent or desirable type or quality
How to obtain the best results from your machine
The best midfielder in the country
Her best black suit
Great
Large in quantity or number
A great throng awaited us.
Best
To the highest degree; most (used with verbs suggesting a desirable action or state or a successful outcome)
Well-drained soil suits this plant best
You knew him best
They named the pictures they liked best
Great
Extensive in time or distance
A great delay.
A great way off.
Best
That which is the most excellent, outstanding, or desirable
This film represents the best of mainstream popular cinema
Buy the best you can afford
Sarah always had to be the best at everything
Great
Remarkable or outstanding in magnitude, degree, or extent
A great crisis.
Great anticipation.
Best
Outwit or get the better of (someone)
She refused to allow herself to be bested
Great
Of outstanding significance or importance
A great work of art.
Best
Surpassing all others in excellence, achievement, or quality; most excellent
The best performer.
The best grade of ore.
Great
Chief or principal
The great house on the estate.
Best
Most satisfactory, suitable, or useful; most desirable
The best solution.
The best time for planting.
Great
Superior in quality or character; noble
A great man who dedicated himself to helping others.
Best
Greatest; most
He spoke for the best part of an hour.
Great
Powerful; influential
One of the great nations of the West.
Best
Most highly skilled
The best doctor in town.
Great
Eminent; distinguished
A great leader.
Best
In a most excellent way; most creditably or advantageously.
Great
Very good; first-rate
We had a great time at the dance.
Best
To the greatest degree or extent; most
"He was certainly the best hated man in the ship" (W. Somerset Maugham).
Great
Very skillful
She is great at algebra.
Best
One that surpasses all others.
Great
Enthusiastic
A great lover of music.
Best
The best part, moment, or value
The best is still to come. Let's get the best out of life.
Great
Being one generation removed from the relative specified. Often used in combination
A great-granddaughter.
Best
The optimum condition or quality
Look your best. She was at her best in the freestyle competition.
Great
(Archaic) Pregnant.
Best
One's nicest or most formal clothing.
Great
Pl. greats or great One that is great
A composer considered among the greats.
Best
The supreme effort one can make
Doing our best.
Great
A division of most pipe organs, usually containing the most powerful ranks of pipes.
Best
One's warmest wishes or regards
Give them my best.
Great
A similar division of other organs.
Best
To get the better of; beat
"I'm a rough customer, I expect, but I know when I'm bested" (Nathanael West).
Great
Very well
Got along great with the teacher.
Best
Most; largest.
Unpacking took the best part of a week.
Great
Used as an intensive with certain adjectives
A great big kiss.
Best
Most superior; most favorable.
In my opinion, mushrooms are the best pizza toppings.
Great
(augmentative) Large, senior high-ranking, intense, extreme, or exceptional
Best
To the most advantage; with the most success, cause, profit, benefit, or propriety.
Great
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
Best
(uncountable) The supreme effort one can make, or has made.
I did my best.
My personal best in that race is eighteen minutes, four seconds.
Great
Title referring to an important leader.
Alexander the Great
Best
(uncountable) One's best behavior.
I was somewhat distant lately, and my lady promised me head every Tuesday of the week when I'm nice to her, so I better be on my best.
Great
Of larger size or more importance than others of its kind.
The great auk
Best
(countable) The person (or persons; or thing or things) that is (are) most excellent.
Even the best of us makes mistakes.
We're the best of friends.
Great
(informal) Very good; excellent; wonderful; fantastic.
Dinner was great.
Best
To surpass in skill or achievement.
Great
Intensifying a word or expression, used in mild oaths.
A dirty great smack in the face
Great Scott!
Best
(transitive) To beat in a contest.
Great
(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
Best
Had best.
It's getting late. You best get on home.
Great
Pregnant; large with young; full of.
Great with child
Great with hope
Best
Having good qualities in the highest degree; most good, kind, desirable, suitable, etc.; most excellent; as, the best man; the best road; the best cloth; the best abilities.
When he is best, he is a little worse than a man.
Heaven's last, best gift, my ever new delight.
Great
Intimate; familiar.
Best
Most advanced; most correct or complete; as, the best scholar; the best view of a subject.
Great
Extreme or more than usual.
Great worry
Best
Most; largest; as, the best part of a week.
Great
Of significant importance or consequence; important.
A great decision
Best
Utmost; highest endeavor or state; most nearly perfect thing, or being, or action; as, to do one's best; to the best of our ability.
Great
(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
Best
In the highest degree; beyond all others.
He prayeth best, who loveth bestAll things both great and small.
Great
Impressive or striking.
A great show of wealth
Best
To the most advantage; with the most success, case, profit, benefit, or propriety.
Had we best retire? I see a storm.
Had I not best go to her?
Great
Much in use; favoured.
Poetry was a great convention of the Romantic era.
Best
Most intimately; most thoroughly or correctly; as, what is expedient is best known to himself.
Great
(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.
Best
To get the better of.
Great
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
Best
The supreme effort one can make;
They did their best
Great
(often followed by 'at') Skilful or adroit.
A great carpenter
You are great at singing.
Best
The person who is most outstanding or excellent; someone who tops all others;
He could beat the best of them
Great
Expression of gladness and content about something.
Great! Thanks for the wonderful work.
Best
Canadian physiologist (born in the United States) who assisted F. G. Banting in research leading to the discovery of insulin (1899-1978)
Great
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.
Best
Get the better of;
The goal was to best the competition
Great
A person of major significance, accomplishment or acclaim.
Newton and Einstein are two of the greats of the history of science.
Best
(superlative of `good') having the most positive qualities;
The best film of the year
The best solution
The best time for planting
Wore his best suit
Great
(music) The main division in a pipe organ, usually the loudest division.
Best
(comparative and superlative of `well') wiser or more advantageous and hence advisable;
It would be better to speak to him
The White House thought it best not to respond
Great
(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.
Best
In a most excellent way or manner;
He played best after a couple of martinis
Great
(informal) Very well in a very satisfactory manner.
Those mechanical colored pencils work great because they don't have to be sharpened.
Best
It would be sensible;
You'd best stay at home
Great
Large in space; of much size; big; immense; enormous; expanded; - opposed to small and little; as, a great house, ship, farm, plain, distance, length.
Best
From a position of superiority or authority;
Father knows best
I know better.
Great
Large in number; numerous; as, a great company, multitude, series, etc.
Best
Surpassing all others in quality.
She won the award for the best actress.
Great
Long continued; lengthened in duration; prolonged in time; as, a great while; a great interval.
Best
Most enjoyable or favorable.
Those were the best days of my life.
Great
Superior; admirable; commanding; - applied to thoughts, actions, and feelings.
Best
In the most excellent condition.
Make sure to put your best foot forward during the interview.
Great
Endowed with extraordinary powers; uncommonly gifted; able to accomplish vast results; strong; powerful; mighty; noble; as, a great hero, scholar, genius, philosopher, etc.
Great
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.
Great
Entitled to earnest consideration; weighty; important; as, a great argument, truth, or principle.
Great
Pregnant; big (with young).
The ewes great with young.
Great
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.
Great
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.
Great
The whole; the gross; as, a contract to build a ship by the great.
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
Great
More than usual;
Great expectations
Great worry
Great
(used of persons) standing above others in character or attainment or reputation;
Our distinguished professor
An eminent scholar
A great statesman
Great
Of major significance or importance;
A great work of art
Einstein was one of the outstanding figures of the 20th century
Great
Remarkable or out of the ordinary in degree or magnitude or effect;
A great crisis
Had a great stake in the outcome
Great
Very good;
He did a bully job
A neat sports car
Had a great time at the party
You look simply smashing
Great
Uppercase;
Capital A
Great A
Many medieval manuscripts are in majuscule script
Great
Marked by active interest and enthusiasm;
An avid sports fan
A great walker
An eager beaver
Great
In an advanced stage of pregnancy;
Was big with child
Was great with child
Great
Large in size or amount.
The great hall could accommodate hundreds of guests.
Great
Considerable in degree or intensity.
There was great excitement during the game.
Great
Noteworthy or remarkable.
He made a great discovery in science.
Great
Eminent or distinguished.
She is a great leader in her field.
Common Curiosities
Is best subjective?
Best can have subjective elements but often suggests objective superiority.
Can something be great but not the best?
Yes, something can be great without being the best.
Does best imply perfection?
Best implies top quality, but not necessarily perfection.
Can something be both great and the best?
Yes, something can be both great in its own right and the best in comparison to others.
Can great be used for people?
Yes, great can describe people who are distinguished or eminent.
Can the term great be quantitative?
Yes, great can describe large sizes or amounts, not just quality.
Can best change over time?
Yes, what is considered the best can change as new comparisons emerge.
Is best always comparative?
Yes, best typically involves a comparison, indicating superiority over others.
Is great always positive?
While typically positive, great can describe negative aspects if they are significant in magnitude.
Do great and best have the same origin?
Both words have different origins; great comes from Old English "great," while best comes from Old English "betst."
Can great and best be used interchangeably?
No, they have different implications and are not always interchangeable.
Can great be used in hyperbole?
Yes, great is often used hyperbolically to emphasize something.
Is best always related to competition?
Best often implies a competitive edge but can also denote personal suitability or preference.
Are great and best culturally specific?
Their basic meanings are universal, but cultural contexts can influence their interpretation.
Does best always require evidence?
Best often, but not always, requires evidence or criteria for its claim.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
