huge

[ hyoojor, often, yooj ]

adjective

huger, hugest.

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 Word Forms

• 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

This is a deeply concerning ruling for human rights and a huge blow to some of the most marginalised people in our society.

From BBC

Mr Rudd resigned from his job because he said the scam had "a huge impact" on his mental health.

From BBC

And with transfers seeking huge paydays ahead of the impending House settlement, prices have never been higher, either.

From Los Angeles Times

Older citizens now have a much greater desire to travel compared to previous generations, creating "huge potential", according to Dr Huang.

From BBC

It will be a huge transformational change in the way we look at ourselves in the cosmic scene.

From BBC

Related Words

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