gargantuan
[gahr-gan-choo-uhn]
- gigantic; enormous; colossal: a gargantuan task.
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Origin of gargantuan
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
huge, enormous, colossal, monstrous, humongous, immense, monumental, mammoth, massive, towering, prodigious, gigantic, vast, tremendous, big, elephantine, giant, jumbo, mountainous, titanicExamples from the Web for gargantuan
Contemporary Examples
Today, researchers are flummoxed as to the whereabouts of this gargantuan cultural artifact.
The Biggest Art Heist of WWII is Still UnsolvedOctober 15, 2014
There are gargantuan histories of the birth of hip-hop, many of which Ed used for his research.
And as far as trolls go, ESPN is like Jotnar, the gargantuan mountain troll wreaking havoc in the Trollhunter films.
In person, you can see why it proved such a gargantuan task.
Susan Sarandon on Her Love Affair With David Bowie, Woody Allen’s Creepiness, and PsychedelicsMarlow Stern
July 24, 2014
The U.S. Embassy and its support staff grew to gargantuan proportions, only to be “right-sized” later on.
Historical Examples
"He has been treating me to Gargantuan discourse, Jacqueline," said the fool, humbly.
Under the RoseFrederic Stewart Isham
The Gargantuan facade itself was enough to smother comprehension.
The Blind SpotAustin Hall
London like some Gargantuan babe, is awake, crying for its milk.
The Second Thoughts of An Idle FellowJerome K. Jerome
But that which has most puzzled and shocked readers are the specially Gargantuan passages relating to eating and drinking.
Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860George Saintsbury
He dropped his hand sheepishly when he realized it was only a sneeze—though a gargantuan one.
Planet of the DamnedHarry Harrison
gargantuan
- (sometimes capital) huge; enormous
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usage
Some people think that gargantuan should only be used to describe things connected with food: a gargantuan meal; his gargantuan appetite
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for gargantuan
adj.
1590s, from Gargantua, large-mouthed giant in Rabelais' novels, supposedly from Spanish/Portuguese garganta "gullet, throat," which is from the same imitative root as gargle.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper