leviathan

noun

le·​vi·​a·​than li-ˈvī-ə-thən 

1

a

often capitalized : a sea monster defeated by Yahweh in various scriptural accounts

b

: a large sea animal

this leviathan of animals is the great Blue Whale

—Weston LaBarre

2

capitalized : the political state

especially : a totalitarian state having a vast bureaucracy

3

: something large or formidable

that leviathan of international corporations

leviathan adjective

Did you know?

Old Testament references to a huge sea monster, Leviathan (in Hebrew, Liwyāthān), are thought to come from an ancient myth in which the god Baal slays a multiheaded sea monster. Leviathan appears in the Book of Psalms, as a sea serpent that is killed by God and then given as food to creatures in the wilderness, and it is mentioned in the Book of Job as well. Today, its name is used for "something monstrous or of enormous size."

Synonyms

• whale
• giant
• monster
• dinosaur
• mammoth

Examples of leviathan in a Sentence

The factory is a towering leviathan in the middle of the town.

a leviathan of the seas, that cruise ship is said to be the largest passenger vessel afloat

Recent Examples on the Web

Conservatives, by contrast, paint liberalism as a cultural leviathan that has trampled traditional values underfoot. —Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 2 June 2025

But how could anyone ever hope to win a fight against the federal leviathan when the people have been bought off by Social Security? —Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018

But in the last four years, the agency has veered off track—doubling in size and turning into a sprawling leviathan plagued by mission creep, financial mismanagement, and waste. —Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025

The remainder of the episode is dedicated to the war for the Yellowstone — the limping leviathan that will define and/or destroy every last Dutton life. —Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin, from Hebrew liwyāthān

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

leviathan

noun

le·​vi·​a·​than li-ˈvī-ə-thən 

1

often capitalized : a sea monster often standing for evil in the Old Testament and Christian literature

2

: something very large or powerful of its kind