large

[lahrj]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR large ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, larg·er, larg·est.

of more than average size, quantity, degree, etc.; exceeding that which is common to a kind or class; big; great: a large house; a large number; in large measure; to a large extent.

on a great scale: a large producer of kitchen equipment.

of great scope or range; extensive; broad.

grand or pompous: a man given to large, bombastic talk.

(of a map, model, etc.) representing the features of the original with features of its own that are relatively large so that great detail may be shown.

famous; successful; important: He's very large in financial circles.

Obsolete. generous; bountiful; lavish.

Obsolete.

unrestrained in the use of language; gross; improper.
unrestrained in behavior or manner; uninhibited.

Nautical. free(def 33).

noun

Music. the longest note in mensural notation.

Obsolete. generosity; bounty.

adverb

Nautical. with the wind free or abaft the beam so that all sails draw fully.

Idioms

at large,

free from restraint or confinement; at liberty: The murderer is still at large.
to a considerable extent; at length: to treat a subject at large.
as a whole; in general: the country at large.
Also at-large.representing the whole of a state, district, or body rather than one division or part of it: a delegate at large.
Also at-large.having a general, as opposed to a specific, role in an organization or project: She’s the magazine’s editor-at-large.

in large, on a large scale; from a broad point of view: a problem seen in large.Also in the large.

Origin of large

1125–75; Middle English < Old French < Latin larga, feminine of largus ample, generous

Related formslarge·ness, nouno·ver·large, adjectiveul·tra·large, adjectiveun·large, adjective

Can be confusedlarge largess

Synonyms for large

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR large ON THESAURUS.COM

1. huge, enormous, immense, gigantic, colossal; massive; vast. See great.

Antonyms for large

1. small.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for largeness

breath, proportion, extent, measure

Examples from the Web for largeness

Contemporary Examples of largeness

This was a president who – maybe just that week – had fully grown into the largeness of his office.
The Funniest WHCD Speech Bill Clinton Never Delivered
Mark Katz
April 26, 2013
The death of the gargantuan Hummer marks the passing of our obsession with largeness.
The End of Really Big
Tunku Varadarajan
February 24, 2010

Historical Examples of largeness

Largeness, freedom, human sympathy, are revealed upon every page.
The American Mind
Bliss Perry
It wouldn't have occurred to me that it was any indication of largeness.
The Dominant Strain
Anna Chapin Ray
This was not the largeness we were facing now, but smallness.
Beyond the Vanishing Point
Raymond King Cummings
Canada is just beginning to realise the largeness of her mineral resources.
Up To Date Business
Various
It was only the largeness of the sum which made him hesitate.
The Man Who Knew
Edgar Wallace

British Dictionary definitions for largeness

large

adjective

having a relatively great size, quantity, extent, etc; big

of wide or broad scope, capacity, or range; comprehensivea large effect

having or showing great breadth of understandinga large heart

nautical (of the wind) blowing from a favourable direction

rare overblown; pretentious

generous

obsolete (of manners and speech) gross; rude

noun

at large

(esp of a dangerous criminal or wild animal) free; not confined
roaming freely, as in a foreign country
as a whole; in general
in full detail; exhaustively
ambassador-at-large See ambassador (def. 4)

in large or in the large as a totality or on a broad scale

adverb

nautical with the wind blowing from a favourable direction

by and large

(sentence modifier)generally; as a ruleby and large, the man is the breadwinner
nauticaltowards and away from the wind

loom large to be very prominent or important

Derived Formslargeness, noun

Word Origin for large

C12 (originally: generous): via Old French from Latin largus ample, abundant

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 largeness

c.1300, from large + -ness.

large

adj.

c.1200, "bountiful, inclined to give or spend freely," also, of areas, "great in expanse," from Old French large "broad, wide; generous, bounteous," from Latin largus "abundant, copious, plentiful; bountiful, liberal in giving," of unknown origin. Main modern meanings "extensive; big in overall size" emerged 14c. An older sense of "liberated, free from restraining influence" is preserved in at large (late 14c.). Adjective phrase larger-than-life first attested 1937 (bigger than life is from 1640s).

Idioms and Phrases with largeness

large

see at large; big (large) as life; by and large; cog in the (a large) wheel; in some (large) measure; loom large; writ large.