Synonym Chooser

How is the word gigantic distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of gigantic are colossal, enormous, huge, immense, mammoth, and vast. While all these words mean "exceedingly large," gigantic stresses the contrast with the size of others of the same kind.

a gigantic sports stadium

When is colossal a more appropriate choice than gigantic?

The words colossal and gigantic can be used in similar contexts, but colossal applies especially to a human creation of stupendous or incredible dimensions.

a colossal statue of Lincoln

How do enormous and immense relate to one another, in the sense of gigantic?

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

When might huge be a better fit than gigantic?

While the synonyms huge and gigantic are close in meaning, huge commonly suggests an immensity of bulk or amount.

incurred a huge debt

When could mammoth be used to replace gigantic?

While in some cases nearly identical to gigantic, mammoth suggests both hugeness and ponderousness of bulk.

a mammoth boulder

When can vast be used instead of gigantic?

In some situations, the words vast and gigantic are roughly equivalent. However, vast usually suggests immensity of extent.

the vast Russian steppes

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 gigantic Commissioner Andrea Barton Reeves said there are some surprising statistics that are sometimes overlooked when discussing the gigantic Medicaid program that spends $9 billion per year in Connecticut alone. Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 3 July 2025 This is a huge, gigantic, 10-foot long, 700-pound steel bike. Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 2 July 2025 The reluctance to do so earlier has converted a modest problem into a gigantic problem. Hersh Shefrin, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025 The pair had performed earlier in the night at the Blue Note Jazz Festival, where Jones hula-hooped to a song in sheer black tights, a thong, and one of her gigantic signature red and black headdresses. Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 15 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for gigantic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gigantic
Adjective
  • These benefits from huge Green Pine-series radars for early warning and to help cue fire control sensors towards incoming threats.
    Sebastien Roblin, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • But this scraping has sparked a huge backlash from publishers, artists and writers, who complain that it has been done without any consent or compensation.
    Billy Perrigo, Time, 1 July 2025
Adjective
  • The French American artist, who died in 2010, is best known for her giant sculptures of spiders, including a 20-foot-high bronze creation that sold for $32.8 million in 2023, setting a record-high price for a work by a female artist.
    Julia Teti, Footwear News, 30 June 2025
  • Once upon a time, the movie tells us, people flocked to see these giant creatures resurrected from old DNA.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • And for what? To cover only a fraction of the enormous cost of the bill, which will add more than $3 trillion to the federal debt by 2034.
    Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025
  • The amount of water that fell rapidly on Friday is estimated around 100 billion gallons, an enormous volume that almost doubles the daily flow over Niagara Falls, according to KSAT.
    Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 July 2025
Adjective
  • The vast majority of fans in attendance were sporting orange and black.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 5 July 2025
  • And the company behind the bet was Google, which had acquired legacy phone maker Motorola Mobility and was leveraging its modern tech prowess and vast resources to make the Moto X smartphone a success.
    Verne Kopytoff, Fortune, 5 July 2025
Adjective
  • Washington — Republicans plan to slash Medicaid funding to help offset the tax cuts and new spending included in President Trump's massive domestic policy bill.
    July 1, CBS News, 1 July 2025
  • Villagran Trump warns Republicans against cutting too deep As bleary senators worked through the massive GOP bill, Trump warned Republicans against going overboard on unpopular cuts.
    Bart Jansen, USA Today, 1 July 2025
Adjective
  • Kling, who grew up in Kansas and turns 68 in October, has overseen a period of tremendous growth for the city.
    Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 30 June 2025
  • While there has been a tremendous amount of misinformation—and in some cases, outright lies—about my bill, many people brought forward sincere concerns.
    Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • While their native range spans from northern Australia to the Tamil Nadu coast, the Sundarbans play host to a particularly large population, providing plenty of opportunities to spot these colossal reptiles in the flesh.
    Jared Ranahan, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
  • That colossal production, which involved the construction of villages in which to film and the onscreen involvement of the host country’s armed forces, began as a lark and turned into an albatross.
    Jillian Steinhauer, New Yorker, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • The mammoth project is expected to be built in phases with the first one, Fernández said, expected by 2029.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 8 July 2025
  • Getting to the final and then winning the Club World Cup would be a major statement for either side without mentioning its mammoth prize money, and Madrid and PSG now stand in each other’s way of achieving that.
    Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Gigantic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gigantic. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.

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