great

/greɪt/

/greɪt/

Other forms: greater; greats

As an adjective great describes things that are very good, large, or important — like a great movie, a great forest, or a great battle that changed the course of a war.

Great can also be a noun: a person who is a legend in his or her field, like Aretha Franklin, a soul great, or Wayne Gretzky — a hockey great who became known as "the Great One." Only a few people qualify for the distinction of being a great — it takes a remarkable talent that continues to awe people long after the person's heyday.

Definitions of great

1. noun

   a person who has achieved distinction and honor in some field
   “he is one of the greats of American music”

   type of:

   achiever, succeeder, success, winner

   a person with a record of successes
2. adjective

   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”

   synonyms:

   big, large

   above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
3. adjective

   of major significance or importance
   “a great work of art”

   synonyms: outstanding

   important, of import

   of great significance or value
4. adjective

   remarkable or out of the ordinary in degree or magnitude or effect
   “a great crisis”

   “had a great stake in the outcome”

   synonyms:

   extraordinary

   beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
5. adjective

   very good
   “had a great time at the party”

   synonyms: bang-up, bully, corking, cracking, dandy, groovy, keen, neat, nifty, not bad, peachy, slap-up, smashing, swell

   good

   having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
6. adjective

   uppercase
   “great A”

   synonyms: capital, majuscule

   uppercase

   relating to capital letters which were kept in the top half of a compositor's type case
7. adjective

   in an advanced stage of pregnancy
   “was great with child”

   synonyms: big, enceinte, expectant, gravid, heavy, large, with child

   pregnant

   carrying developing offspring within the body or being about to produce new life