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• titanic
  titanic

  adjective

  of or containing titanium, especially in the tetravalent state.
• Titanic
  Titanic

  noun

  RMS Titanic, 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 more than 1,500 lives.

titanic

¹ American  

[tahy-tan-ik, ti-] / taɪˈtæn ɪk, tɪ- /

adjective

Chemistry.

1. of or containing titanium, especially in the tetravalent state.

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titanic ² American  

[tahy-tan-ik] / taɪˈtæn ɪk /

adjective

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

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

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Titanic ³ American  

[tahy-tan-ik] / taɪˈtæn ɪk /

noun

1. RMS Titanic, 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 more than 1,500 lives.

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Titanic ¹ British  

/ taɪˈtænɪk /

noun

1. 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

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titanic ² British  

/ taɪˈtænɪk /

adjective

1. of or containing titanium, esp in the tetravalent state

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titanic ³ British  

/ taɪˈtænɪk /

adjective

1. possessing or requiring colossal strength

   a titanic battle

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Titanic Cultural  

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

• titanically
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of titanic¹

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

Origin of titanic²

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

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Explanation

If two rival football teams played a close game that went into overtime, it could be said that winning it was a titanic struggle. This means it took a large amount of force and power to do so. The root word titan is derived from Greek mythology. The Titans were a race of powerful deities. The adjective titanic can now refer to anything extremely large or strong. The Titanic was the name of the famous cruise ship that sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean. This name was chosen not only because it was the largest passenger steamship of its time, but also because it was touted as a strong ship, specifically that it was “unsinkable.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

titanic Titanic

Jay Cooke, the titanic banker of his era, sold the bonds that helped the North win the Civil War.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

But that would trigger a titanic tax bill, unless the holding is in a retirement account.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Sinner has played a lot of tennis over the past three months and appeared to be sick on court during his titanic battle with Medvedev.

From BBC ● May 23, 2026

The massive ships that glide through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are facing extreme fuel costs as oil prices rise, often paying millions of dollars more to top off their titanic tanks.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026

Far in the distance, a creature of titanic proportions rose from the water.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

In centuries past, the British built the Titanic in less time and for less money.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

South Gate’s rain-sodden float depicted a floral Titanic sinking alongside the killer iceberg.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Keith Bott, who runs the Titanic Brewery and nine pubs across the Midlands, said the government was "finally recognising the plight of the hospitality industry and trying to help".

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

In absolute terms, Hollywood mega-hits such as the "Avatar" films, "Frozen" or "Titanic" made more money but with blockbuster budgets several hundred times the one available to Barker.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

A Titanic survivor reported hearing him say, “I think it is nothing serious so I shall turn in again.”

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

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