titanic

[tahy-tan-ik, ti-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR titanic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Chemistry.

of or containing titanium, especially in the tetravalent state.

Origin of titanic

First recorded in 1820–30; titan(ium) + -ic

titanic

[tahy-tan-ik]

adjective

(initial capital letter) of, relating to, or characteristic of the Titans.

Also titan. of enormous size, strength, power, etc.; gigantic.

Origin of titanic

From the Greek word Tītānikós, dating back to 1650–60. See Titan, -ic

Related formsti·tan·i·cal·ly, adverb

Titanic

[tahy-tan-ik]

noun

a British luxury liner that sank after colliding with an iceberg in the North Atlantic on its maiden voyage in April, 1912, with a loss of 1517 lives.

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

Related Words for titanic

Brobdingnagian, Herculean, colossal, elephantine, enormous, epic, gargantuan, giant, huge, immense, jumbo, mammoth, massive, monstrous, monumental, towering, tremendous, vast, titan, larger-than-life

Examples from the Web for titanic

Contemporary Examples of titanic

You know, James Cameron: the director of The Terminator, True Lies, Titanic, and Avatar, among other obscure movies.
James Cameron Dives into the Ocean's Abyss
Andrew Romano
July 21, 2014
And while I may have put a bunch of stunt guys in peril on Titanic, it was my ass in the sphere on the dive.
James Cameron Dives into the Ocean's Abyss
Andrew Romano
July 21, 2014
The American people largely thought him a crazy man in 1964, and of course he lost to Johnson by titanic proportions.
The Roots of the GOP’s Race Problem
Michael Tomasky
May 22, 2014
Titanic once bet $10,000 that Nick (the Greek) Dandolos, another high operator, would not sink a 25-foot putt.
Portrait of the Consummate Con Man
John Lardner
May 17, 2014
Titanic once bet a peanut vendor $10 he could throw a peanut across Times Square in New York.
Portrait of the Consummate Con Man
John Lardner
May 17, 2014

Historical Examples of titanic

It was possible to imagine anything when Nature was making a change so titanic.
Murder Point
Coningsby Dawson
And far away she saw the titanic clouds; but on the horizon, no sail.
Dr. Sevier
George W. Cable
At which Uncle Ulick went off into a peal of Titanic laughter.
The Wild Geese
Stanley John Weyman
And you know, the tinning of salmon was “progress” as much at least as the building of the Titanic.
Notes on Life and Letters
Joseph Conrad
We've had heroic disregards but I think that here disregard was titanic.
The Book of the Damned
Charles Fort

British Dictionary definitions for titanic

titanic

adjective

of or containing titanium, esp in the tetravalent state

titanic

adjective

possessing or requiring colossal strengtha titanic battle

Derived Formstitanically, adverb

Titanic

noun

the Titanic a luxury British liner that struck an iceberg near Newfoundland on its maiden voyage on the night of April 14–15, 1912, with the loss of 1513 lives

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 titanic

adj.

"gigantic, colossal," 1709, from titan + -ic.

titanic in Culture

Titanic

A British luxury ocean liner, thought to be unsinkable, which nevertheless sank on its first voyage in 1912 after running into an iceberg in the north Atlantic Ocean. More than fifteen hundred people drowned.