elephantine

adjective

el·​e·​phan·​tine ˌe-lə-ˈfan-ˌtēn 

-ˌtīn, 

ˈe-lə-fən-

1

a

: having enormous size or strength : massive

b

: clumsy, ponderous

elephantine verse

2

: of or relating to an elephant

Synonyms of elephantine

• gigantic
• giant
• vast
• enormous
• huge
• colossal
• massive
• mammoth
• tremendous
• immense
• monumental
• astronomical
• titanic
• bumper
• monstrous
• monster
• mountainous

Examples of elephantine in a Sentence

He has an elephantine ego.

the wedding reception was held under an elephantine tent on the great lawn

Recent Examples on the Web

An elephantine star becoming a black hole doesn’t explain it either. — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Queen Kapiolani, Hawaii’s queen from 1874 to 1891, died on the land that became the site of the elephantine indoor/outdoor Hyatt Regency resort in Waikīkī, where Kumukahi was the cultural ambassador for a decade. — Matt Negrin, Rolling Stone, 20 Sep. 2025

Eclectic traditionalism, remade on an elephantine scale, is the style of totalitarianism. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2025

Scientists now know that birds’ brains can contain elephantine powers of recollection. — Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1631, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for elephantine

• acetylene
• adamantine
• adenosine
• amphetamine
• anthropocene
• apoprotein
• aquamarine
• arsphenamine
• azobenzene
• buprenorphine
• catecholamine
• chlorobenzene

Kids Definition

elephantine

adjective

el·​e·​phan·​tine ˌel-ə-ˈfan-ˌtēn 

-ˌtīn, 

ˈel-ə-fən-

1

a

: very big : huge, massive

b

: lacking grace

2

: of or relating to an elephant

Geographical Definition

Elephantine

geographical name

El·​e·​phan·​ti·​ne ˌe-lə-ˌfan-ˈtī-nē 

-fən-, 

-ˈtē-

island in the Nile River opposite Aswân in southern Egypt