Meaning of 偉い in Japanese

Definition of 偉い

えらい(erai) 【偉い ·豪い】

(adj-i) great; excellent; admirable; remarkable; distinguished; important; celebrated; famous; eminent
私はあの人が将来偉くなると見取った。
I discerned the potential of great things in him.
awful; terrible

えらいですね(eraidesune) 【偉いですね】

えらいひと(eraihito) 【偉い人】

(n) celebrated personage; big-wig; person in a high position
偉い人は身なりを気にしない。
A great man doesn't care about his appearance.

どえらい(doerai) 【ど偉い】

おえらいさん(oeraisan) 【お偉いさん】

えらいさん(eraisan) 【偉いさん】

えらいめ(eraime) 【えらい目 ·偉い目】

(exp) terrible time; hard time; bad day
吹雪でえらい目に遭った。
We had a terrible time in the blizzard.

彼かれは自分じぶんでは偉いえらいつもりでいるが、実際じっさいはとるに足らぬ人ひとだ。

He thinks he is somebody, but really he is nobody.

His old company gave him the shaft. But I admire the way he turned bad luck into good and did even better with his own business.

彼かれは偉いえらい学者がくしゃで、さらによいことには、良い先生せんせいだ。

He is a great scholar and what is better, a good teacher.

If he had not died so young, he would have become a great scientist.

大きくおおきくなったら、偉い人えらいひとになりたい。

I want to be somebody when I grow up.

昔むかし１人の偉いえらい王様おうさまが住んでいた。

Once there lived a great king.

君きみは偉いえらいことをやったね。

You've done it!

偉い人えらいひとは身なりみなりを気にしないきにしない。

A great man doesn't care about his appearance.

あの会社かいしゃはみんなおご偉いえらいさんの肩書きかたがきばかりで、船頭せんどう多くて船ふね進まずだ。

Everybody in that company is either a vice-president or a senior vice-president; they're all chiefs and no Indians.

あの偉いえらい坊さんぼうさんを見ろよ。

Look at the big shot.