great
A1 (Extremely High Frequency)All registers, from highly informal (exclamation) to formal (describing magnitude/importance).
Definition
Meaning
Of an extent, amount, or intensity considerably above the normal or average; of ability, quality, or eminence considerably above average.
Also used to express approval, enthusiasm, or as a general intensifier; of significant importance or influence (e.g., great power); used in titles denoting relative status (e.g., great-grandfather); informal term meaning excellent or very good.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Highly polysemous. Core meaning relates to size/degree, but dominant contemporary use is evaluative (positive). Context heavily determines meaning. Can express magnitude (great height), excellence (great idea), importance (great leader), or intensity (great pain).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Slight preference in British English for 'brilliant' or 'fantastic' in informal positive exclamations. 'Great' as an informal adverb ('doing great') is slightly more established in AmE but fully understood in BrE.
Connotations
Equally positive in both. In formal historical/political contexts, 'Great' (Great Britain, the Great Depression) carries identical weight.
Frequency
Extremely high and comparable in both varieties. A core adjective of general evaluation.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
ADJ + N (a great city)BE + great (The film was great)great + at + -ING (She's great at solving problems)great + for + N (This tool is great for DIY)It is/was great + that/to-infinitive (It's great to see you)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “go to great lengths”
- “great minds think alike”
- “the great outdoors”
- “in great detail”
- “a great many”
- “no great shakes”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used to describe significant opportunity, success, or potential (e.g., 'great potential for growth', 'a great quarter').
Academic
Used to denote scale, importance, or influence (e.g., 'a great deal of research', 'the great philosophers'), avoiding its informal evaluative sense.
Everyday
Ubiquitous as a general positive evaluator and intensifier (e.g., 'That's great!', 'We had a great time.', 'It's a great big mess.').
Technical
Rare in pure technical jargon. May appear in historical/geological nomenclature (e.g., Great Barrier Reef, Great Red Spot).
Examples
By Part of Speech
adverb
British English
- Informal: You're doing great! Keep it up.
- Formal: His work has been greatly improved.
American English
- You're doing great on the project.
- The team was greatly motivated by the win.
adjective
British English
- We had a great holiday in Cornwall.
- She showed great courage in the interview.
American English
- We had a great vacation in Colorado.
- He has a great opportunity at the new firm.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- That's a great book!
- We have a great teacher.
- London is a great city.
- It would be a great help if you could arrive early.
- She made a great effort to finish on time.
- We spent a great deal of money.
- The project was a great success, exceeding all targets.
- He's great at defusing tense situations.
- There's a great difference between theory and practice.
- The treaty was of great geopolitical significance.
- She managed the crisis with great aplomb.
- The novel explores the great moral dilemmas of the age.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
GREAT sounds like GRATE. Imagine a GRATE (metal frame) that is unusually LARGE and EXCELLENT at its job of covering a drain.
Conceptual Metaphor
IMPORTANCE/EXCELLENCE IS SIZE (e.g., 'a great leader', 'a great idea'). MORE IS UP (e.g., 'great height', 'greatly increased').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid over-translating as 'большой' for abstract positive qualities. 'A great friend' is more 'замечательный друг' than 'большой друг'.
- The exclamation 'Great!' is 'Отлично!'/'Замечательно!', not 'Великий!'.
- 'The great majority' is 'подавляющее большинство', not 'великое большинство'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'very great' is often redundant; 'very' is usually unnecessary. *'It was a very great success' -> 'It was a great success'.
- Confusing 'great at' (skill) with 'great for' (purpose): *'This app is great at learning vocabulary' -> 'This app is great for learning vocabulary'.
- Overuse in writing where more precise adjectives (e.g., 'substantial', 'remarkable', 'influential') would be better.
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'great' used to mean 'large in scale' rather than 'excellent'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It spans all registers. Its formality depends on context. 'A great deal of evidence' is formal, while 'That's great!' is informal.
Yes, frequently. e.g., 'great importance', 'great patience', 'great wealth'. It often means 'a large amount of' in such cases.
'Big' primarily refers to physical size. 'Great' more often refers to degree, intensity, importance, or excellence. A 'big problem' is a large one; a 'great problem' is either a very significant one or an excellent puzzle/challenge.
No. 'Greatly' is the standard, formal adverb meaning 'to a large extent' ('greatly appreciated'). Informally, 'great' is used as an adverb, especially in AmE, meaning 'very well' ('doing great').
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