as in magnitude
the quality or state of being very large
the American taste for giantism: big cars, big houses, big servings of food
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of giantism
Brontotheres, the ancient North American ancestors of the horse, is a giantism outlier as—growing from around 40 pounds to four to five tons in 16 million years.
—
Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 16 May 2023
In an especially mind-bending passage, Wengrow and Graeber show that the majority of Paleolithic tombs contained not grandees but individuals with physical anomalies including dwarfism, giantism, and spinal abnormalities.
—Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 11 July 2022
The researchers think the parrot evolved this way because of a phenomenon known as autapomorphic giantism, in which a member of an otherwise moderately sized group becomes humongous by taking over an empty ecological niche.
—Cara Giaimo, New York Times, 6 Aug. 2019
The extraordinary success of the giant three-ring circus gave rise to other forms of exportable American giantism, such as amusement parks, department stores, and shopping malls.
—Janet M. Davis, Smithsonian, 22 Mar. 2017
Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 16 May 2023
In an especially mind-bending passage, Wengrow and Graeber show that the majority of Paleolithic tombs contained not grandees but individuals with physical anomalies including dwarfism, giantism, and spinal abnormalities.
—Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 11 July 2022
The researchers think the parrot evolved this way because of a phenomenon known as autapomorphic giantism, in which a member of an otherwise moderately sized group becomes humongous by taking over an empty ecological niche.
—Cara Giaimo, New York Times, 6 Aug. 2019
The extraordinary success of the giant three-ring circus gave rise to other forms of exportable American giantism, such as amusement parks, department stores, and shopping malls.
—Janet M. Davis, Smithsonian, 22 Mar. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for giantism
Noun
-
Jonathan Krinksy, an analyst at BTIG, said in a recent note that the magnitude of the markup in the semiconductor space resembles 1999.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
-
In their separate addresses to families, several Board members acknowledged questions from parents regarding how the school could have reached a financial crisis of this magnitude.—
Claire Murphy,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
On one hand, her work includes deeply compassionate photographs of carnival performers, strippers, nudists, gender-nonconforming people, people with developmental disabilities, and people with both dwarfism and gigantism.—
Tony Bravo,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Whatever showy gigantism the Kennedy Center was burdened with at the start, there will almost surely be more of it after he’s done.—
Christopher Robbins,
Curbed,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
At this point, Venegas briefly glances at the rows of books inside the lending library, as if contemplating the vastness of human creativity.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
-
Originally staged at Avignon in 2025, the play follows a father and daughter whose bond is tested across the vastness of space as one of them starts a new life on Mars while Earth deteriorates.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Nowhere in the vestiges of what was once the sprawl of corporate hugeness known as The General Electric Company are there signs that Katharine Blodgett's laboratory notebooks still exist.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Like Phish or Taylor Swift or The Dead, 21P have created a universe for their fans that is a self-sustaining mechanism, even if the hugeness of it doesn’t always translate into huge chart success.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The immensity of recreational fishing also likely has effects on freshwater ecosystems that have gone unrecognized by fisheries managers.—
Matthew Robertson,
The Conversation,
6 May 2026
-
Their grandeur and immensity manage to surprise us even in an age when humans are building larger and larger things.—
Jessica Camille Aguirre,
New Yorker,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Giantism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/giantism. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
