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to a great extent

to a great extent

11 3.5
To a large degree
  • idiom
translation icon : en gran medida
  • I mean, to a great extent we suffer from lack of willingness to face up to the most basic facts.
  • depends to a great extent
  • to a great extent determined
  • to a great extent, still

My, the last entire trilogy I did was about displacement to a great extent due to war.

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Examples

  • The economic stability of a family is determined to a great extent by the presence of both parents who are working.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The United States' policy on stratospheric ozone depletion to a great extent influences the policy choices of other nations.

    Academic text (1991)
  • It's, it's outside to a great extent of the central banking system.

  • It's a vast water supply and used to a great extent to fuel the agriculture industry in this part of the country.

  • Background noise can be reduced to a great extent if the walls are covered with noise-absorbing materials.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Hence, our cognitive capabilities are to a great extent defined by the media that we use.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Profitability will depend to a great extent on reductions in the price of alternative energy sources.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The participants of the SI/MAB program come from nongovernmental organizations to a greater extent than participants in other programs.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The basic data are shaky, and both sets of studies rest to a great extent on subjective judgments.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The project was successful to a great extent due to the team's hard work.

Synonyms

a lot
vsto a great extent
1.0

To a very great degree

is similar but slightly more neutral and general in tone
extremely
vsto a great extent
1.0

To a very great degree

is less extreme and indicates a strong but milder degree
highly
vsto a great extent
922 1.0

To a very high degree, often about skill or rank

is more general and not tied to evaluation or rank
a great deal
vsto a great extent
354 1.8

Shows that something is done a lot

is alike but can be used more broadly and mildly
greatly
vsto a great extent
350 1.0

By a very large amount

is similar but usually less intense or dramatic
heavily
vsto a great extent
320 1.0

To a large degree or too much

is more neutral and does not imply heaviness or excess
quite a bit
vsto a great extent
  • Informal
235 2.8

A fairly large amount

is more neutral and fits both formal and informal uses
considerably
vsto a great extent
144 3.4

By a large amount

is similar but feels slightly less formal and exact
tremendously
vsto a great extent
129 3.1

To a very large degree

is milder and fits general statements of degree
substantially
vsto a great extent
129 4.9

To a large degree

is more general and less formal in typical usage
enormously
vsto a great extent
128 3.5

To a very large degree

is less forceful and more moderate in intensity
vastly
vsto a great extent
103 3.0

By a very large amount

is similar but often implies a smaller or less sweeping change
hugely
vsto a great extent
84 2.1

To a very great degree

is comparable but usually used with less dramatic force
a good deal
vsto a great extent
81 2.4

To a great degree

expresses the same idea but with slightly broader use
immensely
vsto a great extent
70 3.5

To a very large degree

is similar but suggests a somewhat smaller overall scale
exceedingly
vsto a great extent
57 4.6

To a very great degree

is less intense and used for general significant degree
massively
vsto a great extent
47 3.4

To a great degree

is about degree generally rather than large physical scale
in spades
vsto a great extent
  • Informal
14 8.0

To a very great degree

is more measured and less idiomatic in expression
to that extent
vsto a great extent
14 3.9

As much as someone says or suggests

is a general intensifier used independently of prior mention
to that degree
vsto a great extent
3 3.9

It applies at the level already mentioned

is used broadly to state significant degree without reference
by a long way
vsto a great extent
  • UK
1 3.0

By a much larger amount than others

is a general degree marker, not specifically comparative

Antonyms

1.0

To a very small degree

885 1.0

A little, not very much

How Much

completely
1.0
to a great extent
11 3.5
in part
374 2.2
a little
1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

to + a + great + extent

The meaning 'to a considerable degree' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'great' (large/significant) with 'extent' (degree/amount), with 'to' + 'a' serving as standard grammatical scaffolding. This is a regular degree-modifying composition found cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The phrase to a great extent gives a simple image: the word extent means how far or how much something reaches, so when something reaches a 'great extent' it covers a large part or degree. That's why to a great extent means 'very much' or 'considerably'.