mammoth 1 of 2

mammoth

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word mammoth distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of mammoth are colossal, enormous, gigantic, huge, immense, and vast. While all these words mean "exceedingly large," mammoth suggests both hugeness and ponderousness of bulk.

a mammoth boulder

When might colossal be a better fit than mammoth?

Although the words colossal and mammoth have much in common, colossal applies especially to a human creation of stupendous or incredible dimensions.

a colossal statue of Lincoln

How are the words enormous and immense related as synonyms of mammoth?

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 would gigantic be a good substitute for mammoth?

The words gigantic and mammoth can be used in similar contexts, but gigantic stresses the contrast with the size of others of the same kind.

a gigantic sports stadium

When can huge be used instead of mammoth?

In some situations, the words huge and mammoth are roughly equivalent. However, huge commonly suggests an immensity of bulk or amount.

incurred a huge debt

Where would vast be a reasonable alternative to mammoth?

The meanings of vast and mammoth largely overlap; 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 mammoth
Adjective
But dividing Moscow and Beijing would prove a mammoth task, experts on the subject say. Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025 Hailey Bieber has returned to the West Coast after a mammoth stint away from home, packing away her enviable coat collection and sharp suiting that led her Aspen and New York wardrobes. Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 20 Feb. 2025
Noun
This team wants to resurrect the mammoth, the flightless dodo and Tasmanian tiger, an Australian marsupial that went extinct in 1936. Katie Hunt, CNN, 16 Jan. 2025 Rife is set to embark on his mammoth The Stay Golden Tour next year which includes a large slate of North American shows that kick off on March 8 in Dallas and conclude in Boston on Dec. 31, 2025, with 30 stops scheduled between those dates. Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 3 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for mammoth
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mammoth
Adjective
  • Acoustic Sounds occupies a hodgepodge of squat industrial buildings in Salina, a city of about 50,000 near the geographic center of the 48 contiguous states, where grain elevators and a gigantic frozen pizza plant jut out from the flat plains landscape.
    Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 7 Mar. 2025
  • Some knobby with new growth, some short or gigantic, some suffering or shrunken, some reaching over paths and roads.
    Hazlitt, Hazlitt, 5 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Skin biopsy samples confirmed that changes had occurred in the whales’ diets.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 26 Feb. 2025
  • Lines dotted with buoys were wrapped around the whale’s torso and tail, posing a threat to its survival.
    Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 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
Noun
  • Its feathers and wishbone align it with birds, while its teeth, claws and bony tail tie it to theropod dinosaurs.
    Scott Travers, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
  • Cooper was inked with another dinosaur, which Wyatt pointed to in the picture.
    Hannah Sacks, People.com, 21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Skeptics argue that the huge sums of money invested in the project could be better spent elsewhere.
    Katie Hunt, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Running over a year off-Broadway has been a dream come true, and has set us up for huge success nationwide.
    Jordan Moreau, Variety, 4 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Potgieter is usually a monster off the tee, leading the tour in driving distance coming into the week.
    Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
  • Related Articles Heat’s Bam Adebayo hitting stride when needed most; ‘He’s been a monster for us’ ASK IRA: Can Terry Rozier even be a Plan B for the Heat at this stage?
    Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 6 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
Noun
  • The lab mice, which have been modified to have shaggy fur and golden coats, are a demonstration of the kind of gene edits that the company hopes to perform on a much larger scale, modifying Asian elephants to more closely resemble their woolly mammoth ancestors.
    Matt Reynolds, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Regardless, the company’s leaders say these experiments are a promising step toward their goal of engineering mammoth traits into Asian elephants.
    Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

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

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