sleeping giant

American  

[slee-ping jahy-uhnt] / ˈsli pɪŋ ˈdʒaɪ ənt /

noun

1. someone or something whose strength has not been fully demonstrated or recognized but that, once provoked, will respond with unexpected force and extraordinary power.

   The Japanese admiral, anticipating the U.S. reaction to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, allegedly said, “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant.”

2. Ecology. an environmental condition or circumstance that has the potential for drastic consequences to one or more of the earth’s life systems.

   The rapidly melting glaciers of eastern Antarctica represent some of our planet’s most dramatic sleeping giants.

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Etymology

Origin of sleeping giant

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

"We look at Lincoln City as a sleeping giant, is that fair?"

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

They saw a sleeping giant waiting to be unleashed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 21, 2025

Pastner said many of the same things when he arrived in 2016, calling Georgia Tech a sleeping giant even as he faced a massive rebuilding job.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 14, 2023

“It was just a sleeping giant sitting there not taking any advantage of the digital side,” he said.

From New York Times • Feb. 6, 2023

It looked like a sleeping giant covered with ants as the builders went about their task.

From "Beowulf: A New Telling" by Robert Nye