Himalayan

1 of 2

adjective

Hi·​ma·​la·​yan ˌhi-mə-ˈlā-ən 

hi-ˈmäl-yən, 

-ˈmä-lē-ən 

1

: of, relating to, or resembling the Himalayas

2

: enormously large : mountainous

a task of Himalayan proportions

Himalayan

2 of 2

noun

: any of a breed of domestic cats developed by crossing the Persian and the Siamese and having the stocky build and long thick coat of the former and the blue eyes and coat patterns of the latter

Illustration of Himalayan

Synonyms of Himalayan

Adjective

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

Examples of Himalayan in a Sentence

Adjective

as military blunders go, the disastrous Pickett's Charge was of Himalayan proportions

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Vote counting would begin immediately after the ballot boxes are collected and transported to counting centers across the Himalayan nation, which could be as early as Thursday night. —Arkansas Online, 6 Mar. 2026

Security forces patrolled streets and guarded polling stations across the Himalayan nation of about 30 million people as voters lined up to cast their ballots. —ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026

Noun

Its first phase started with more than 600 villages along India's 2,100-mile-long border with China, many high up in the forbidding Himalayan plateau. —Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 17 Feb. 2026

In a remote part of Pakistan, villagers routinely take rickety cable cars across the canyons that cut through the Himalayan foothills. —Brent Lang, Variety, 21 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1835, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1949, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Himalayan

• layin
• rayon
• malayan
• nuclein
• verstehen

Kids Definition

Himalayan

1 of 2 adjective

Hi·​ma·​la·​yan ˌhim-ə-ˈlā-ən  him-ˈäl-(ə-)yən 

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the Himalaya Mountains

Himalayan

2 of 2 noun

: any of a breed of stocky blue-eyed domestic cats that have a long thick coat and a pale body with darker ears, paws, tail, and face