greatly

UK/ˈɡɹeɪ̯t.liː/US/ˈɡɹeɪ̯t.li/

adverbB2Common in everyday speech and writing · #4,011 of 15,258leans written

Greatly means to a very large degree. Greatly improved, greatly appreciated, greatly exaggerated.

It is formal and goes with past participles above all — greatly increased, greatly reduced, greatly missed. It is rare before an ordinary adjective, where very does the work, and that is what makes it sound written rather than spoken.

Definitions of greatly

1adverbgreatlyTo a very large degree.B2
“Your help has been greatly appreciated.”

greatly is a degree.

Where it comes from

Middle English
gretly
English, today
greatly

From Middle English gretly.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

greatly in the wild

Church etiquette varies greatly between the different nations and cultural groups among whom Christianity is found.
Church etiquette
In Western Culture, in common with most social situations, church etiquette has generally changed greatly over the last half-century or more, becoming much less formal.
Church etiquette
All adult insects possess legs on the prothorax, though in a few groups (e.g., the butterfly family Nymphalidae) the forelegs are greatly reduced.
Prothorax
Following Wilfrid's removal from York in 678 the diocese was divided into three, leaving a greatly reduced see of York, to which Bosa was appointed bishop.
Bosa of York
Since the size of a naval squadron varies greatly, the rank associated with command of a squadron also varies greatly.
Squadron (naval)

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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