huge

[ hyoojor, often, yooj ]

adjective

, hug·er, hug·est.

1. extraordinarily large in bulk, quantity, or extent:

   a huge ship; a huge portion of ice cream.

   Synonyms: bulky, stupendous, vast, colossal, gigantic, mammoth

   Antonyms: diminutive, tiny, small

2. of unbounded extent, scope, or character; limitless:

   the huge genius of Mozart.

3. Slang. very important, successful, popular, etc.:

   The show is huge in Britain.

huge

/ hjuːdʒ /

adjective

1. extremely large in size, amount, or scope Archaic formhugeous

Pronunciation Note

See human.

Derived Forms

• ˈhugeness, noun

Other Words From

• hugely adverb
• hugeness noun
• over·huge adjective
• over·hugely adverb
• over·hugeness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of huge¹

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English huge, hoge from Old French ahuge, ahoge “enormous,” equivalent to a- a- ⁵ + hoge “height” from Germanic; compare Old Norse haugr “hill” ( high )

Word History and Origins

Origin of huge¹

C13: from Old French ahuge, of uncertain origin

Synonym Study

Huge, enormous, immense, tremendous imply great magnitude. Huge implies massiveness, bulkiness, or even shapelessness: a huge mass of rock; a huge collection of antiques. Enormous, literally out of the norm, applies to what exceeds in extent, magnitude, or degree, a norm or standard: an enormous iceberg. Tremendous, in informal use, applies to anything so huge as to be astonishing or to inspire awe: a tremendous amount of equipment. Immense, literally not measurable, is particularly applicable to what is exceedingly great, without reference to a standard: immense buildings. All are used figuratively: a huge success; enormous curiosity; tremendous effort; immense joy.

Example Sentences

"We are a different team and we have evolved a huge amount in the last 12 months," George told BBC Radio 5 Live.

From BBC

“I’m a business guy and I think the diversity makes a huge difference,” Penske said.

From Los Angeles Times

“It doesn’t make sense to have this huge cornerstone of our housing policy solution be at risk.”

From Los Angeles Times

The Christian nationalist turnout machine is much more robust, and it brings huge numbers of extremely reliable voters to the Republican side.

From Salon

In the real world, he's a failed businessman who repeatedly filed for bankruptcy after losses so huge that even decades of fraud and two cash infusions amounting to nearly a billion dollars couldn't safeguard him.

From Salon

Related Words

• colossal
• enormous
• extensive
• gargantuan
• giant
• gigantic
• great
• humongous
• immense
• magnificent
• mammoth
• massive
• monstrous
• monumental
• towering
• tremendous
• vast