greater

The word “greater” means larger in size, amount, or importance than something else being compared. In plain terms, the comparative form of "great" — more, bigger, or more important than something else, or referring to the wider area around a city.

“Greater” is pronounced GRAY-tuh (/ˈɡɹeɪtɚ/ in IPA).

Here is “greater” used in a sentence: “The new phone has greater storage capacity than the old model.”

“Greater” is an adjective.

“Greater” is a very common word in modern English.

“Greater” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: larger in size, amount, or importance than something else being compared.

'Larger' almost always refers to physical size — a larger house or box. 'Greater' is broader and often abstract, covering amount, degree, or importance, as in 'greater responsibility' or 'greater risk.' You can say a greater number or a greater good, where 'larger' would sound wrong. Greater ranks or matters more, not just measures bigger.

In mathematics, 'greater than' means one value is larger than another, written with the symbol >. For example, 5 > 3 reads 'five is greater than three.' The wide, open end of the symbol always points to the larger number. Its counterpart, 'less than' (<), shows the opposite relationship.

The usual opposites are 'lesser' and 'smaller,' along with 'fewer' when counting things. 'Lesser' fits abstract comparisons like importance or degree — 'the lesser of two evils' — while 'smaller' suits size. In math, the opposite relationship is 'less than,' written with the < symbol.