Finding a great synonym means first spotting which great you have: excellent and wonderful for quality, huge for size, major for importance, and renowned for fame. One small word covers all of those, so readers have to guess which you meant.
Below, another word for great is sorted into six senses, ranked by strength and matched to essays, emails and casual chat. There are also notes on which praise words sound sincere and which sound like a sales pitch.
Swatch at a glance
Best swaps
excellent, wonderful, huge, majorPart of speech
Adjective (also an informal noun: one of the greats)Most formal
distinguished, considerable, eminentMost casual
awesome, ace, brilliantStrongest
superb, outstanding, tremendousAntonyms
terrible, poor, minor, smallWatch out
Grand can mean impressive or simply fine. "I'm grand" is informal Irish English for I'm okay.
Every great synonym by sense
| Sense | Best swaps | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Very good | excellent, wonderful, superb | The soup was superb. |
| Big | huge, vast, considerable | A considerable amount of work. |
| Important | major, significant, momentous | A momentous decision. |
| Famous or skilled | renowned, eminent, legendary | A renowned violinist. |
| Strong feeling | deep, intense, profound | With deep regret. |
Notice that a great leader and a great crowd use completely different swaps: eminent leader, enormous crowd.
Fine, good, excellent, outstanding, superb
The chips above rank praise words from mild to strong. Fine often means acceptable, which can sound cool. Good is solid but plain. Excellent is clear high praise and fits any setting. Outstanding means it stands above the rest. Superb is near the top and suits food, performances and craft.
Great sits roughly between good and excellent. If you swap upward, make sure the thing earns it.
Before and after swaps
- We had a great time becomes we had a wonderful time.
- A great number of people came becomes a huge number of people came.
- This is a great step forward becomes this is a major step forward.
- She is a great scientist becomes she is an eminent scientist.
- Great job on the report becomes excellent work on the report.
- He has great respect for his coach becomes he has deep respect for his coach.
Which word fits the setting
Essays: great is vague. Use considerable, significant or substantial for amounts, and renowned or influential for people.
Work feedback: excellent, strong and impressive sound sincere. Too many superlatives feel like flattery.
Casual chat: awesome, brilliant (common in British English) and fantastic sound warm. See awesome synonyms for more relaxed options.
A manager writes: "Great presentation, great slides, great answers." A sharper note: "Clear slides, and you handled the budget question really well." Specific praise lands better than three greats in a row.
Great in set phrases
Some phrases do not swap word for word. A great deal means a lot: replace it with much or a lot. Great at means skilled: she is great at chess becomes she is skilled at chess. Great-grandmother is a family term and never changes. The Great Lakes and similar names are proper nouns, so leave them alone.
Opposites and false friends
For quality, the opposite of great is terrible, awful or poor; mediocre means only average. For size, use small or tiny, and for importance, minor. False friends: grandiose sounds like grand but means showy and overblown. Terrific once meant terrifying and now means very good, so it is safe today. Adjectives ranked by strength fill the describing words section.
Frequently asked questions
Which words go beyond great in strength?
Outstanding, superb and exceptional are stronger. Use them when something clearly beats the usual standard.
Which great synonyms fit formal writing?
Excellent works in any formal text. For size, choose considerable or substantial; for people, distinguished or eminent.
What is another word for great job?
Excellent work, well done, strong effort or impressive result. Adding one specific detail makes the praise more believable.
Is awesome a synonym for great?
Yes, in casual speech. Formal readers may find it too relaxed, so pick excellent or impressive instead.
What is the opposite of great?
Terrible and awful for quality, small for size, and minor for importance.