large

[ lahrj ]

/ lɑrdʒ /

|||

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.

Nearby words

laree, lares, lares and penates, largactil, largando, large, large as life, large black, large calorie, large cane, large cell carcinoma

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

SYNONYMS FOR large

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

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR large ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR large

1 small.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR large ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

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

Can be confused

large largess

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
The death of the gargantuan Hummer marks the passing of our obsession with largeness.
The End of Really Big|Tunku Varadarajan|February 24, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Her cantatas show unusual breadth of style, and their largeness of spirit wins them great favour.
Woman's Work in Music|Arthur Elson
Like the sea is our life for its largeness; like the sea in its ebbs and flows.
The Optimist's Good Morning|Florence Hobart Perin

Observe the lack of largeness, freedom and generosity in it.
Civilization the Primal Need of the Race|Alexander Crummell
So that there could then be no reason of quarrelling about title, nor any doubt about the largeness of possession it gave.
Second Treatise of Government|John Locke
They seemed to share the kindliness and largeness of John Thornton.
The Call of the Wild|Jack London

British Dictionary definitions for largeness

large

/ (lɑːdʒ) /

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
nautical towards and away from the wind

loom large to be very prominent or important

Derived Forms

largeness, 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

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.