Meaning & use
great-grandma
Last updated
UK/ˌɡreɪt ˈɡrænmɑː/
US/ˌɡreɪt ˈɡrænmɑː/
Meaning
nouncountableinformal
The mother of one of your grandparents, used in a warm, casual way.
Grammar: Can be used as a name, with a capital letter, when speaking to her: Great-Grandma Rose.
Patterns
- my great-grandma
My great-grandma still bakes bread every Sunday.
We took a photo of four generations with great-grandma in the middle.
Great-grandma told us stories of growing up on a farm.
Word forms
| plural | great-grandmas |
|---|
Common combinations
- visit great-grandma
- We visit great-grandma every summer.
- my great-grandma's recipe
- This is my great-grandma's recipe for plum cake.
- meet great-grandma
- The baby met great-grandma for the first time.
- call great-grandma
- Please call great-grandma to wish her a happy birthday.
- great-grandma's house
- We spent holidays at great-grandma's house.
Synonyms and how they differ
- great-grandmother
- Great-grandmother is the formal, complete form, while great-grandma sounds affectionate and is used in conversation.
- great-granny
- Great-granny is a more British, affectionate version with a similar feel.
- great-nana
- Great-nana is a regional, family-style term for the same relative.
Opposites
Word family
- grandma noun
- informal word for a grandmother
- great-grandpa noun
- informal word for a great-grandfather
- great-grandchild noun
- the child of one's grandchild
- great-great-grandma noun
- the mother of one's great-grandparent
Commonly confused: great-grandma or great-aunt?
great-grandma vs great-aunt
A great-aunt is the sister of a grandparent, not a parent of a grandparent.
Practice
Your great-grandma is the ____.
Choose one answer.
A great-grandma is one generation above a grandparent. The mother of your parent is your grandma, and the others are different relatives.
Make it your own
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