Great (adjective / adverb) — very large in size, number, or degree; or very good and excellent. She made a great impression at the interview.
What Does Great Mean?
Great comes from the Old English grēat, meaning thick, large, or coarse, derived from Proto-Germanic *grautaz. In Old English the word primarily described physical bulk or size. By the Middle English period it had expanded to describe eminence and importance — hence titles such as Alexander the Great and the Great Wall. By Early Modern English the sense of excellent or wonderful had become dominant in everyday speech, and that is the sense most learners encounter first.
Today great works in two main ways. As an adjective it either emphasises large degree or quantity (a great distance, a great deal of effort) or expresses high quality and excellence (a great idea, a great teacher). As an informal adverb it replaces well in everyday speech: Things are going great. In formal or academic writing the adverb form greatly is required instead.
Because great is so common, careful writers choose more specific adjectives — remarkable, substantial, outstanding — when precision matters. In everyday ESL communication, however, mastering great and its collocations gives you an immediately useful and natural-sounding toolkit.
Example Sentences by Level
| Sentence | Level | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| My teacher is great — she always explains things clearly. | A2 | great = excellent (informal praise) |
| There was a great number of people at the concert last night. | B1 | great = very large (quantity) |
| She made a great impression at the interview and got the job. | B1 | make a great impression — fixed collocation |
| The project required a great deal of patience and careful planning. | B2 | a great deal of — formal fixed phrase |
| The committee went to great lengths to ensure every voice was heard during the consultation. | C1 | go to great lengths — idiom: make a very big effort |
Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| a great deal of | Learning a language takes a great deal of practice. |
| great importance | Physical exercise is of great importance to mental health. |
| great success | The fundraising event was a great success. |
| great pleasure | It is with great pleasure that I introduce our guest speaker. |
| great opportunity | Working abroad is a great opportunity to improve your language skills. |
| great idea | Switching to renewable energy is a great idea for the environment. |
| great lengths | She went to great lengths to make the presentation perfect. |
| great care | Handle the antique furniture with great care. |
| great progress | Students made great progress during the intensive course. |
| great news | "You passed your exam!" "That's great news!" |
Usage Notes
When and how to use great correctly
- Adjective — quality: Use before a noun to praise or commend. a great film, a great teacher, a great idea.
- Adjective — degree/quantity: Use with abstract nouns to signal large amount or high degree. great effort, great distance, great importance. In this sense, great is more formal than big or large.
- Adverb (informal): In everyday speech, great replaces well after verbs like work, go, turn out. In formal writing, use greatly or very well instead.
- Exclamation: Great! on its own expresses enthusiasm or approval. Common in both spoken and written informal English.
- Register: Great is neutral to informal. For academic or professional writing, prefer considerable (degree), significant (importance), or outstanding / excellent (quality).
Etymology Note
Old English grēat (thick, coarse, big) → Proto-Germanic *grautaz → Middle English grete (large, eminent) → Early Modern English great (excellent, distinguished). Related to Dutch groot and German groß (both meaning big or large). The sense of moral or intellectual greatness developed during the 13th–14th centuries, and the colloquial sense of simply very good is attested from the 19th century onward.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
The weather was greatly yesterday.
The weather was great yesterday. (great is the adjective; greatly only modifies verbs and adjectives, not nouns via a linking verb)
It was a greatly idea to meet here.
It was a great idea to meet here. (great is the adjective form before a noun; greatly cannot replace it)
The building is very great and tall.
The building is very tall and impressive. (great rarely describes physical size in modern English; use large, tall, or huge for buildings)
He is a great of a musician.
He is a great musician. / He is a great at playing guitar. (do not add of a between great and the noun in standard British English)