gigantic

adjective

gi·​gan·​tic jī-ˈgan-tik 

jə-

: exceeding the usual or expected (as in size, force, or prominence)

gigantically

jī-ˈgan-ti-k(ə-)lē 

jə-

adverb

Synonyms

• astronomical
• astronomic
• Brobdingnagian
• bumper
• colossal
• cosmic
• cosmical
• cyclopean
• elephantine
• enormous
• galactic
• gargantuan
• giant
• gigantesque
• grand
• herculean
• heroic
• heroical
• Himalayan
• huge
• humongous
• humungous
• immense
• jumbo
• king-size
• king-sized
• leviathan
• mammoth
• massive
• mega
• mighty
• monster
• monstrous
• monumental
• mountainous
• oceanic
• pharaonic
• planetary
• prodigious
• super
• super-duper
• supersize
• supersized
• titanic
• tremendous
• vast
• vasty
• walloping
• whacking
• whopping

Choose the Right Synonym for gigantic

enormous, immense, huge, vast, gigantic, colossal, mammoth mean exceedingly large.

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

huge commonly suggests an immensity of bulk or amount.

incurred a huge debt

vast usually suggests immensity of extent.

the vast Russian steppes

gigantic stresses the contrast with the size of others of the same kind.

a gigantic sports stadium

colossal applies especially to a human creation of stupendous or incredible dimensions.

a colossal statue of Lincoln

mammoth suggests both hugeness and ponderousness of bulk.

a mammoth boulder

Examples of gigantic in a Sentence

a raccoon got into the trash and now there's a gigantic mess in our backyard

Recent Examples on the Web

The seafront here is striking, with huge gray rocks and crumbled sea stacks scattered across the water, like some gigantic game of marbles. —Jackie Burrell, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024

The sheet-metal warehouse with steel girders is tall and expansive enough for the kind of gigantic immersive exhibits for which Blumenthal Arts is already known, Gabbard said. —Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2024

For Christmas in 1942, the United States delivered gigantic twin globes to American president Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. —Laurie Kellman, Quartz, 7 Apr. 2024

Editors’ Picks Prized symbols of the city, the towers are ubiquitous: on postcards, souvenir magnets, even on gigantic chocolate Easter eggs that featured a drawing of them on a marzipan surface. —Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024

The entrepreneurs behind Radia created it for one reason: to facilitate the shipping of gigantic wind blades to challenging locations. —Justin Worland, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024

Burns is gigantic, a refrigerator with limbs, but with unexpected speed, deft moves and, best of all perhaps, an engaging, palpable joy on the court on that is as big as his frame. —Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2024

Two Chesapeake Bay pilots on board provided navigational commands to help guide the gigantic vessel away from the unfamiliar port. —Ray Sanchez, CNN, 29 Mar. 2024

More than a game How Dodgers fans built a gigantic community of L.A. hikers. —Christian Orozco, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Greek gigantikos, from gigant-, gigas giant

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

gigantic

adjective

gi·​gan·​tic jī-ˈgant-ik 

: being beyond the ordinary or expected (as in size, weight, or strength)