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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Example Sentences
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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
-
Total lunar eclipses with magnitudes only slightly above 1 tend to appear lighter copper or reddish in tone rather than a very dark crimson, because the moon does not travel deeply through the shadow.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Benji discusses the potential magnitude of Team Mexico winning the tournament.—
SportsDay Staff,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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As the Seahawks hoisted the trophy on the field, amid the gigantism and confetti cannons and surfeit on display, a sense of perspective seemed to have been restored.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
More than 80 years later, the site endures as the Joshua Tree Retreat Center, a 150-plus-acre expanse set just beyond the boundaries of Joshua Tree National Park, where the vastness of the High Desert feels both grounding and otherworldly.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Feb. 2026
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Pop songs operate on a smaller scale than two-hour movies, and, despite those constraints, the liberties that Charli and Keane take in blending pop hooks and orchestral chaos gives their soundtrack album an impressive vastness.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
The historic crisis makes the personal tale reverberate with an inner immensity.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
6 Feb. 2026
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The immensity of Catherine and Heathcliff’s passion is measured by the intensity of their language, which of course is also Brontë’s.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Giantism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/giantism. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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