as in magnitude
the quality or state of being very large
the American taste for giantism: big cars, big houses, big servings of food
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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
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The magnitude of the current AI buildout is unlike any other investment in history.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
6 Feb. 2026
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While all eyes were focused on recent tragic events in Minnesota, another tragedy of immense magnitude has been unfolding in Iran.—
Hamid Kashani,
Twin Cities,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In April, Gabriel was diagnosed with gigantism, caused by high levels of growth hormone.—
Susan Young,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
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Cut off from outside populations, Rome’s freshwater crabs developed a form of gigantism.—
Krista Langlois,
Smithsonian Magazine,
7 July 2025
Noun
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The vastness of my riches may sound unrealistic to you.—
Chris John Amorosino,
Hartford Courant,
30 Jan. 2026
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But the vastness was really about fostering conditions in which his spectral harmonies could thrive.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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Hawley, who directed the premiere, brings an impressive sense of scale to the action, conveying the hugeness of the spaceship and its urban crash zone, contrasted with the smallness of the figures trying to make their way through the mayhem.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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There was hugely more of it and less of me, rendered infinitesimal in the presence of this immensity.—
Michael Pollan,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
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Stevens chose to enact the story on a scale of mythic grandeur and timeless immensity.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
19 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Giantism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/giantism. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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