large-scale
Americanadjective
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very extensive or encompassing; of great scope.
a large-scale business plan.
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made to a large scale.
a large-scale map.
adjective
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wide-ranging or extensive
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(of maps and models) constructed or drawn to a big scale
Etymology
Origin of large-scale
First recorded in 1885–90
Compare meaning
How does large-scale compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Anything described as large-scale is happening in a big way. A large-scale study of the benefits of dark chocolate would require many people and lots of time. And lots of chocolate. Yum. Scale has to do with size, so anything large-scale is huge. A large-scale ad campaign goes all around the country — and maybe around the world. A large-scale military campaign is one that might attack on multiple fronts. Cartoon villains who want to take over the world commit large-scale crimes. A large-scale commercial farm is gigantic, cranking out tons of food. The opposite of large-scale is small-scale.
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.
Earlier this year, ChatGPT maker OpenAI withdrew from a partnership with Nscale and Nvidia to establish a UK version of Stargate -- a large-scale AI infrastructure initiative.
From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026
In one large-scale project, for instance, the New York City Housing Authority is installing pumps for thousands of tenants in municipal housing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
Russia on Thursday reported that an oil refinery in Ryazan, south of the capital, Moscow, had been hit in a "large-scale attack".
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
The Paris prosecutor's office told AFP it had opened an investigation into the incident, which it called a "large-scale cyber-attack affecting the refrigerators of several major food retail chains across France".
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Those farsighted people chose to merge their inefficient little chiefdoms into a larger state capable of blessing them with large-scale irrigation.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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