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Great

adj. joyful, capable everyday

What it means

Meaning 1

Notably better, more useful, or more enjoyable than ordinary.

Reach for it when giving broad enthusiastic approval in everyday language

The new ramp is a great improvement for families with strollers.

Meaning 2

Large in scale, degree, importance, or influence.

Reach for it when describing magnitude or consequence rather than quality

The bridge has great importance for the isolated farms.

Words to choose between 8

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2
playful
everyday
  • Great (this word)
warm
professional
formal
literary

Meaning 1: Notably better, more useful, or more enjoyable than ordinary.

  • playful

    fantastic

    Fits when high-energy praise fits the audience

    Careful It may sound inflated in a formal performance review.

  • warm

    wonderful

    Fits when the result brings personal delight or affection

    Careful Wonderful can feel emotional when practical quality is the point.

  • professional

    excellent

    Fits when quality needs credible, measured praise

    Careful Excellent is more precise but less conversationally enthusiastic.

  • professional

    impressive

    Fits when achievement, skill, or scale earns admiration

    Careful Impressive describes your reaction and does not always mean beneficial.

Meaning 2: Large in scale, degree, importance, or influence.

  • professional

    major

    Fits when importance within a system or decision is central

    Careful Major may mean category or rank rather than sheer scale.

  • formal

    considerable

    Fits when a measured but substantial degree is meant

    Careful Considerable avoids claiming exceptional quality.

  • literary

    immense

    Fits when scale is vast enough to inspire emphasis

    Careful Immense can exaggerate an important but bounded effect.

  • literary

    profound

    Fits when depth of effect or significance is unusually strong

    Careful It is wrong for physical size or a merely large quantity.

Opposites 4

  • poor
  • mediocre
  • minor
  • slight

Common phrases 3

  • great idea

    A great idea from the porter reduced the queue by half.

  • great job

    You did a great job explaining the change without jargon.

  • great importance

    Reliable buses are of great importance to the hill villages.

Word family 1

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Naomi Persephone Amethyst, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated