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Gargantua is the name of a giant king in François Rabelais's 16th-century satiric novel Gargantua, the second part of a five-volume series about the giant and his son Pantagruel. All of the details of Gargantua's life befit a giant. He rides a colossal mare whose tail switches so violently that it fells the entire forest of Orleans. He has an enormous appetite, such that in one incident he inadvertently swallows five pilgrims while eating a salad. The scale of everything connected with Gargantua led to the adjective gargantuan, which since William Shakespeare's time has been used for anything of tremendous size or volume.
Examples of gargantuan in a Sentence
Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 18 June 2025
The 21-year-old Locomotion rail museum is also hosting events, including in the New Hall which expands what was already a gargantuan display of historic rail vehicles into the largest and most awe-inspiring such collection in Europe.
—Carlton Reid, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge tested the limits of Kauffman Stadium with a gargantuan blast in the team’s 10-2 win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 11 June 2025
That dish is clever, for sure, but it’s served in an oddly gargantuan portion, and its playful clash of textures and temperatures wears out its welcome after a bite or two.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 8 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Gargantuan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gargantuan. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gargantuan
adjective
from Gargantua, a giant with an enormous appetite in books by the French author François Rabelais
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