mammoth 1 of 2

Definition of mammothnext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word mammoth distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of mammoth are colossal, enormous, gigantic, huge, immense, and vast. While all these words mean "exceedingly large," mammoth suggests both hugeness and ponderousness of bulk.

a mammoth boulder

When might colossal be a better fit than mammoth?

Although the words colossal and mammoth have much in common, colossal applies especially to a human creation of stupendous or incredible dimensions.

a colossal statue of Lincoln

How are the words enormous and immense related as synonyms of mammoth?

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 would gigantic be a good substitute for mammoth?

The words gigantic and mammoth can be used in similar contexts, but gigantic stresses the contrast with the size of others of the same kind.

a gigantic sports stadium

When can huge be used instead of mammoth?

In some situations, the words huge and mammoth are roughly equivalent. However, huge commonly suggests an immensity of bulk or amount.

incurred a huge debt

Where would vast be a reasonable alternative to mammoth?

The meanings of vast and mammoth largely overlap; 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 mammoth
Adjective
That's the consensus view of music business players who talked to The Associated Press about how mammoth tours like Sheeran's generally work. — ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026 His first hit Sunday in Miami was a mammoth upper-deck shot to right field on the kind of awe-inspiring swing that has come much more easily for De Paula than in years past. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Noun
These results raise some questions about how Ice Age hunter-gatherers interacted with wooly mammoths. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 30 July 2026 For a mammoth, a successful pregnancy in an elephant surrogate would drag on for almost two years. — Taylor Dotson, Scientific American, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for mammoth
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mammoth
Adjective
  • This week, some people make gigantic mistakes that are very entertaining.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Royal Caribbean’s Icon class is growing as the company marks the start of construction on its fifth gigantic vessel in the series.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Bringing them to the aquarium to keep them alive likely causes great trauma to the whales after many years of being left alone.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 26 Sep. 2026
  • In a first for marine mammals, veterinarians have used bacteria-killing viruses to treat a beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) with a drug-resistant infection.
    — Margherita Bassi, Popular Science, 24 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • On the living-room table was a giant bowl filled with cigarette butts, which Beck said was for an art project.
    — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Her work ultimately led to more than 600 residents of Hinkley filing a lawsuit against utility giant Pacific Gas & Electric.
    — Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 24 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Hups, a science teacher at Colorado’s Northglenn High School, immediately recognized the lumpy sandstone as dinosaur toes.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Some studies suggested many dinosaurs were endotherms, generating their own body heat like birds and mammals.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 20 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Tiny creatures like crabs and ants traveled huge distances, encountering all sorts of dangers—driven by the instinct to lay eggs and reproduce at any cost.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The sensational international rescue of the famously sentient creatures, replete with colossal cargo planes, huge crates and Shedd staffers working in the dead of night to transport and care for the whales, must have looked made for social media.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • They’re rooted in a time and place that feels all too real, and this allows the monsters to parade their primitive might in a way that means something.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Sep. 2026
  • At this point in TV history, audiences had grown jaded by the monster-of-the-week style that every show used and abused, wanting more depth to their programming.
    — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 26 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • The machines typically used to compress fuel must deliver enormous bursts of energy with exceptional precision.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026
  • No one knew quite how enormous both films would become, even if many clearly believed in the films and the filmmakers.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 26 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Ready to Wear, the bilious bomb of a film in which Robert Altman took aim at the fashion industry with an elephant gun—and missed.
    — Charles Gandee, Vogue, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Ostrich texture features on the Air Jordan 14 Low, snakeskin on the Air Jordan 15, elephant print and patent leather on the Air Jordan 16 and stingray on the Air Jordan 17.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Mammoth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mammoth. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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