Synonym Chooser

How is the word huge distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of huge are colossal, enormous, gigantic, immense, mammoth, and vast. While all these words mean "exceedingly large," huge commonly suggests an immensity of bulk or amount.

incurred a huge debt

When would colossal be a good substitute for huge?

The words colossal and huge 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 huge?

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 is gigantic a more appropriate choice than huge?

The synonyms gigantic and huge are sometimes interchangeable, but gigantic stresses the contrast with the size of others of the same kind.

a gigantic sports stadium

When can mammoth be used instead of huge?

The meanings of mammoth and huge largely overlap; however, mammoth suggests both hugeness and ponderousness of bulk.

a mammoth boulder

Where would vast be a reasonable alternative to huge?

In some situations, the words vast and huge 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 huge During the winter months, the park’s Monarch Grove Trail is a huge draw. Chelsee Lowe, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2025 Part of that is due to a huge mismatch between people’s hopes and reality, with that chasm growing bigger than ever. Jason Ma, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025 The second match will feature LA Knight, someone that fans have been supporting for a while, and getting to appear in Cena's last one would be huge. Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025 The Orediggers’ defense made several huge plays in the first half to help build the lead. Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for huge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for huge
Adjective
  • Danielewski is a writer of enormous power and vision.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Some of this, of course, is related to fires in California and hurricanes in the southeast that destroyed an enormous amount of utility infrastructure.
    Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • But their collective decline from era-changing talents, who, in the case of Zverev and Medvedev, forced style changes across the tour with their combination of gigantic serves and elite movement and defense, illustrates how far Sinner and Alcaraz have pulled away.
    Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Getting that pilot picked up is another gigantic win that is getting rarer and rarer.
    Senior Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • As the anti-India movement in the Maldives gained momentum, China exploited the United States’ absence, rapidly expanding its regional footprint by easing the tremendous debt the island country owed China.
    MUHIB RAHMAN, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2025
  • The lid lifters, who conduct their inspections just before crews are scheduled to pick up trash and recycling, have created some confusion because their inspections began with the city’s trash system in tremendous flux.
    David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • In 2017, Nepal joined the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China’s vast infrastructure investment program.
    MUHIB RAHMAN, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2025
  • Robotic systems like Sentante could let experts treat patients remotely instead of transporting them across vast regions.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • China has undertaken a massive expansion of sites linked to missile production since 2020, bolstering its ability to potentially deter the US military and assert its dominance in the region, a new CNN analysis of satellite images, maps and government notices reveals.
    Tamara Qiblawi, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
  • For Native people, the war marked a dangerous fork in the road, stirring famine, spurring a massive refugee crisis, and permanently shifting the balance of power in the heart of the continent.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • That move, however, allowed the giant exhibitor to fully redeem all of its 2026 debt maturities.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Generative, predictive, and other forms of AI collectively are projected to generate as much as $340 billion annually in value creation for the global banking sector, consulting giant McKinsey has estimated.
    John Kell, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The sibling filmmaking duo spent most of the 2010s making a colossal two-part movie adaptation of King’s 1,138-page horror opus about a shapeshifting clown who terrorizes the small town of Derry, Maine.
    Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Filler shots of chauffeurs, champagne and colossal walk-in closets with pristine designer clobber glistening and gleaming from glass shelves centred around trays and trays of priceless jewels assault the viewer’s senses between almost every scene.
    Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The stars of Stranger Things discuss the immense task of filming eight movie-length episodes over the course of one calendar year.
    Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Under immense pressure and with Verstappen suddenly closing in, Antonelli couldn’t misstep.
    Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Huge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/huge. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.

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