jillion
Americannoun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of jillion
First recorded in 1940–45; expressive formation based on million, billion, etc.
Explanation
A jillion is an enormous number of something. If your next door neighbor has too many cats to count, go ahead and say they've got a jillion cats. Similar to words like zillion, tons, or oodles, jillion is perfect for talking about a huge but vague number. It's also hyperbolic — in other words, it's an exaggeration. The word is modeled on actual numbers like million and billion, so it almost sounds like a real quantity. But like zillion, jillion is imprecise. Its origin is vague too, described as an "arbitrary coinage" first used around 1940.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s not unlike opening your garbage can and taking a big sniff, but multiplied by about one jillion.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 5, 2024
But that was no earworm — and neither is “Eazy Sleazy,” with lyrics that could have been pulled from any one of a jillion rambling, cranky COVID-19 diaries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2021
Beyond that, there are a jillion other quippy, self-referential jokes about comics and pop culture, including the silly names for Ikea furniture; David Beckham’s surprisingly high-pitched voice; and a scatological allusion to Meredith Baxter.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 11, 2016
The younger Brant is also remarkable for being about five jillion times more low-key than his two hyper-fashionable half brothers Peter II and Harry.
From New York Times ● Jul. 8, 2015
A jillion little game trails twisted their way through jungles of wild cane and matted masses of elder.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
