huge

[hyooj, yooj]

adjective

huger, hugest 

1. extraordinarily large in bulk, quantity, or extent.

   a huge ship; a huge portion of ice cream.

   Synonyms: bulky, stupendous, vast, colossal, gigantic, mammoth
   Antonyms: diminutive, tiny, small

2. of unbounded extent, scope, or character; limitless.

   the huge genius of Mozart.

3. Slang.,  very important, successful, popular, etc..

   The show is huge in Britain.

huge

/ hjuːdʒ /

adjective

1. Archaic form: hugeous. extremely large in size, amount, or scope

Pronunciation Note

See human.

Other Word Forms

• hugely adverb
• hugeness noun
• overhuge adjective
• overhugely adverb
• overhugeness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of huge¹

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English huge, hoge from Old French ahuge, ahoge “enormous,” equivalent to a- a- ⁵ + hoge “height” from Germanic; compare Old Norse haugr “hill” ( high )

Word History and Origins

Origin of huge¹

C13: from Old French ahuge, of uncertain origin

Synonym Study

Huge, enormous, immense, tremendous imply great magnitude. Huge implies massiveness, bulkiness, or even shapelessness: a huge mass of rock; a huge collection of antiques. Enormous, literally out of the norm, applies to what exceeds in extent, magnitude, or degree, a norm or standard: an enormous iceberg. Tremendous, in informal use, applies to anything so huge as to be astonishing or to inspire awe: a tremendous amount of equipment. Immense, literally not measurable, is particularly applicable to what is exceedingly great, without reference to a standard: immense buildings. All are used figuratively: a huge success; enormous curiosity; tremendous effort; immense joy.

Example Sentences

Among the most remarkable discoveries are several huge vertebrae that indicate the presence of a very large lamniform shark.

Read more on Science Daily

The couple said they bought the house for their eldest daughter, who is a huge fan of the show, but while she finishes her studies they will use it as a holiday rental.

Read more on BBC

But in the early 1900s, they began to face competition from huge public universities who were suddenly taking an interest in this game of the East Coast elite.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"Half my clients really notice a huge difference - their skin feels more hydrated, healthier, younger - while the other half don't see such a big change. But their skin does tend to feel tighter and fresher."

Read more on BBC

Daly and Winkleman's revelation sparked a huge reaction online, with the pair saying in a joint statement at the time that they "were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time".

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• colossal 
• enormous 
• extensive 
• gargantuan 
• giant 
• gigantic 
• great 
• humongous 
• immense 
• magnificent 
• mammoth 
• massive 
• monstrous 
• monumental 
• towering 
• tremendous 
• vast