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 All of these companies need to do huge equity offerings. Jim Cramer, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2025 So, Donna, huge rallies yesterday. ABC News, 19 Oct. 2025 New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields took a huge hit from a Carolina Panthers defender in the second quarter of their Week 7 matchup on Sunday afternoon. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2025 With the Dolphins’ inability to stop the run and Sunday’s potential rainstorm, Judkins could be in for a huge day. Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for huge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for huge
Adjective
  • But one scholar, Anthony Grafton, who about thirty years ago published Forgers and Critics, focused on how in the early modern period, there was this enormous flourishing not only of culture but also of liars.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025
  • The level of detail is enormous, but Newcastle’s story remains intimate and there is something profound about Moore filling this role in this of all places.
    George Caulkin, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • With back-to-back fights with Baragon and a gigantic octopus (who arrives with no explanation), Frankenstein’s kinship with King Kong – a simplistic empathy and wrestler-like physical prowess – has never felt clearer.
    Rory Doherty, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
  • As the trend gathered followers in every borough, the walls of New York City became a gigantic canvas on which the collective unconscious was projected.
    Antonio Sergio Bessa, Curbed, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • This is tremendous news for the incredible people of Japan.
    Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
  • The jewels are of tremendous national worth and their value incalculable.
    News Desk, Artforum, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Trump on Sunday suggested Ukraine and Russia should freeze their bitter conflict along the current front lines, which would cede vast swathes of Ukrainian territory to Russia—which Kyiv has long refused to entertain.
    Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
  • The vast majority of the population was illiterate.
    Karl Ove Knausgaard, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The Red Ghost was said to be a massive, red-haired camel with a skeletal rider strapped to its back.
    Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Relying solely on Amazon’s admittedly massive reach would be both a lifeline and a painful concession.
    Mara Weinraub, Bon Appetit Magazine, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Of course, the heaviest anti-Shannon edit came from Sage, who noticed everything from the register of Shannon’s voice changing to her adversary being a giant shark wearing a cute seal mask.
    Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025
  • The team already is contracted with oilfield services giant Halliburton, IPT Well Solutions, and Stampede Drilling.
    Jordan Blum, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But the glaciers don’t stop at the shoreline; instead, colossal floating plates of ice hundreds of meters thick extend over the sea.
    Evan Howell, Quanta Magazine, 20 Oct. 2025
  • The Heart Nebula is a colossal star-forming region named for its resemblance to a cartoonish representation of the human heart.
    Anthony Wood, Space.com, 19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The apartment was on the fourth floor of an immense nineteenth-century mansion.
    Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
  • As a shaky ceasefire between Israel and Hamas seems to hold and Gaza starts to emerge from war, the immense challenges facing the territory in its eventual recovery are becoming clear.
    Leila Fadel, NPR, 20 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Huge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/huge. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.

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