Greatest

/ˈɡreɪtɪst/

adjectiveBeginnerVery CommonGeneral

Definitions

1

Being the largest, most significant, or best of a group.

/ˈɡreɪtɪst/

adjectivepositiveBeginner
General

Surpassing all others in quality, quantity, or degree; largest or most important.

She is the greatest artist of her generation.

💡 Simply: Imagine you're ranking things. The 'greatest' is the one that's at the very top, better than all the others! Like if you have the tastiest cookie in the whole world, that's the greatest one.

👶 For kids: The best of all!

More Examples

2

The greatest challenge facing the company is competition.

3

This is the greatest book I have ever read.

4

What is the greatest mystery in the world?

How It's Used

General

"The greatest achievement of the century."

Sports

"Michael Jordan is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time."

Music

"The album is comprised of her greatest hits."

From Middle English *greteste*, equivalent to great + -est. The comparative form *greater* derives from Old English *grēatra*.

Historically, 'greatest' has been consistently used to denote superlative quality or degree since its early appearance in English texts.

Memory tip

Think of the biggest or best thing you can imagine.

greatesttgrestestgretest

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written