Synonym Chooser

How is the word gigantic distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of gigantic are colossal, enormous, huge, immense, mammoth, and vast. While all these words mean "exceedingly large," gigantic stresses the contrast with the size of others of the same kind.

a gigantic sports stadium

When is colossal a more appropriate choice than gigantic?

The words colossal and gigantic can be used in similar contexts, but colossal applies especially to a human creation of stupendous or incredible dimensions.

a colossal statue of Lincoln

How do enormous and immense relate to one another, in the sense of gigantic?

Enormous and immense both suggest an exceeding of all ordinary bounds in size or amount or degree, but enormous often adds an implication of abnormality or monstrousness.

an enormous expense
an immense shopping mall

When might huge be a better fit than gigantic?

While the synonyms huge and gigantic are close in meaning, huge commonly suggests an immensity of bulk or amount.

incurred a huge debt

When could mammoth be used to replace gigantic?

While in some cases nearly identical to gigantic, mammoth suggests both hugeness and ponderousness of bulk.

a mammoth boulder

When can vast be used instead of gigantic?

In some situations, the words vast and gigantic are roughly equivalent. However, vast usually suggests immensity of extent.

the vast Russian steppes

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gigantic The movie immediately generated a gigantic buzz online and in the trades. Wash Westmoreland, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2025 As Teddy Roosevelt instinctively knew, Lincoln’s iconic image belonged not only in the gigantic Lincoln Memorial, but on the modest penny. Harold Holzer, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 2025 This is the Hoosiers’ second gigantic Quad 1 win in the past two weeks, including a win at Michigan State. Joe Rexrode, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025 One of the puzzles in Animal Well (2024) requires memorizing a route to escape a gigantic ghost cat. Lewis Gordon, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gigantic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gigantic
Adjective
  • Ensuring a few words wouldn’t spark a huge conflagration that could be splashed across social media, Steph Curry qualified his thought.
    Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Photo : Miroslav Cik A huge terrace wraps around the house, providing lots of space for alfresco dining and relaxing.
    Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • In a recent report on the giant theater chain Cinemark, the research firm MoffettNathanson started with a look at the continuing dismal state of theatrical exhibition.
    David Bloom, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
  • There are spells, curses, vendettas, a twist villain, giant dragons who turn into humanoid warriors and many other creatures populating the world of this gargantuan feat of eye-popping computer animation.
    Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The decision to remove the enormous mural near the White House comes after a U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., introduced legislation earlier this week that gave D.C. an ultimatum: either paint over the slogan or risk losing federal funding.
    Juliana Kim, NPR, 8 Mar. 2025
  • There are also the now-traditional summer preseason schedules of European clubs who spend a few weeks in America playing before enormous crowds before kicking off their new seasons back home.
    Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • What to Do Sure, wine tasting and farm-to-table dining is why many travelers come to the Willamette Valley to begin with, but its vast beauty shouldn't be wasted.
    Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 7 Mar. 2025
  • The two lone wolves traverse a wasteland of vast canyons, derelict cityscapes and blazing oil fields, digitally rendered on blue screens.
    J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Paying the high acquisition cost to get him would be a massive risk.
    Peter Baugh, The Athletic, 6 Mar. 2025
  • Additionally, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon each signed separate nuclear energy agreements late last year in anticipation of the massive energy demands of their AI plans.
    Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Of course, Cena vs. Rhodes sounds like a tremendous WrestleMania main event on paper, too, a bout that WWE fans would be easily invested in given how popular Cena and Rhodes have been at their peaks.
    Blake Oestriecher, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
  • This is a time of tremendous grief and pain for those who knew and loved him.
    Caroline Frost, Deadline, 2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Today’s state-of-the-art LLMs, capable of generating text, writing codes and analyzing data, rely on colossal infrastructure for training, storage and inference.
    Gerui Wang, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
  • There is a mutual readiness to work to restore relations and gradually solve a colossal amount of systemic strategic problems in the global architecture.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • The film, which has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards, centers on the efforts of fictional protagonist László Tóth to realize a mammoth, bunkerlike, concrete structure that will house a community center in Pennsylvania.
    Michael Allen, The Conversation, 27 Feb. 2025
  • Like Amazon, which used its perch in e-commerce to build a powerhouse cloud computing business, Walmart has taken advantage of its mammoth retail base to grow with e-commerce, add on an advertising business and collect more dollars from membership programs.
    Evan Clark, WWD, 27 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Gigantic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gigantic. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

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