gargantuan

adjective

gar·​gan·​tuan gär-ˈgan(t)-sh(ə-)wən 

variants often Gargantuan

: tremendous in size, volume, or degree : gigantic, colossal

gargantuan waterfalls

Did you know?

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.

Synonyms of gargantuan

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

Examples of gargantuan in a Sentence

a creature of gargantuan proportions

people seem to be buying ever more gargantuan SUVs these days

Recent Examples on the Web

Timotheé Chalamet has picked up a habit for borrowing Kylie Jenner’s mini Kelly, and A$AP Rocky is very much in his Chanel bag era like Styles, while also being spotted toting gargantuan Louis Vuitton bags (Rihanna’s influence) and chic Celine luggage. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2026

The gargantuan Loderi King George rhododendron stood four or five times my height, shaggy with giant effusive blooms of the palest pink. —Amy Waldman, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2026

Some superfans are even trying to heave patio chairs inside to get an up-close seat to the action, which, in this case, is the gargantuan screen that will be projecting the first episode of the show’s 50th season. —Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 4 Mar. 2026

SpaceX plans to use its Starship megarocket — a gargantuan rocket system that Musk originally billed for Mars travel — for the task. —Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Gargantua

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

gargantuan

adjective

gar·​gan·​tuan gär-ˈganch-wən 

-ə-wən

: extraordinary in size, degree, or volume : gigantic

Etymology

from Gargantua, a giant with an enormous appetite in books by the French author François Rabelais