adv · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˈɡɹeɪtli/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -eɪtli
CMU ARPABET:G R EY1 T L IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adv
Meaning 1
To a great extent or degree.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Expenses greatly exceeded revenues this year, much to nobody's surprise.
He was more greatly beloved than anyone in living memory.
I admire Elvis Presley greatly.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: very, drastically
Antonyms: none provided
2
adv
Meaning 2
Nobly; magnanimously.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adverb
Meaning 3
to an extraordinary extent or degree
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
he improved greatly
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Middle English gretly, gretely, gretliche, greteliche, equivalent to great + -ly.
Across languages
Translations
33 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
بشكل كبير
— to a great extent
Armenian:
սաստիկ
(sastik)
— to a great extent
Bulgarian:
много
(mnogo)
— to a great extent
Bulgarian:
значително
(značitelno)
— to a great extent
Catalan:
granment
— to a great extent
Chinese Mandarin:
大大
(dàdà)
— to a great extent
Esperanto:
ege
— to a great extent
Finnish:
kovin
— to a great extent
Finnish:
see also Thesaurus:kovin
— to a great extent
French:
grandement
— to a great extent
Galician:
grandemente
— to a great extent
Georgian:
მაგრად
(magrad)
— to a great extent
Gothic:
𐌼𐌹𐌺𐌹𐌻𐌰𐌱𐌰
(mikilaba)
— to a great extent
Ancient Greek:
μεγάλως
(megálōs)
— to a great extent
Italian:
molto
— to a great extent
Italian:
grandemente
— to a great extent
Italian:
assai
— to a great extent
Italian:
oltremodo
— to a great extent
Italian:
parecchio
— to a great extent
Italian:
tanto
— to a great extent
Italian:
massimamente
— to a great extent
Japanese:
大いに
(ōini)
— to a great extent
Latin:
magnopere
— to a great extent
Norman:
grandement
— to a great extent
Russian:
си́льно
(sílʹno)
— to a great extent
Russian:
суще́ственно
(suščéstvenno)
— to a great extent
Russian:
значи́тельно
(značítelʹno)
— to a great extent
