leviathan
noun
le·vi·a·than
li-ˈvī-ə-thən 
1
a
often capitalized
: a sea monster defeated by Yahweh in various scriptural accounts
b
: a large sea animal
this leviathan of animals is the great Blue Whale—
Weston LaBarre
Weston LaBarre2
capitalized
: the political state
especially
: a totalitarian state having a vast bureaucracy
3
: something large or formidable
that leviathan of international corporations
leviathan
adjective
Did you know?
Old Testament references to a huge sea monster, Leviathan (in Hebrew, Liwyāthān), are thought to come from an ancient myth in which the god Baal slays a multiheaded sea monster. Leviathan appears in the Book of Psalms, as a sea serpent that is killed by God and then given as food to creatures in the wilderness, and it is mentioned in the Book of Job as well. Today, its name is used for "something monstrous or of enormous size."
Examples of leviathan in a Sentence
The factory is a towering leviathan in the middle of the town.
a leviathan of the seas, that cruise ship is said to be the largest passenger vessel afloat
Recent Examples on the Web
The Super Bowl was the leviathan in whose eddying wake the pilot fish feed.
—Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
Uth Duna, an eel-like leviathan, hits like a truck and moves erratically within its watery lair.
—PCMAG, 11 Feb. 2025
Angry leviathans, seeking to annihilate with a god-like vengeance.
—Todd Heyman, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Thanks in a large part to the high tax rates needed to fund the healthcare leviathan, the median income in every Canadian province is lower than the median income in every U.S. state.
—Sally Pipes, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leviathan
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Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
Uth Duna, an eel-like leviathan, hits like a truck and moves erratically within its watery lair.
—PCMAG, 11 Feb. 2025
Angry leviathans, seeking to annihilate with a god-like vengeance.
—Todd Heyman, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Thanks in a large part to the high tax rates needed to fund the healthcare leviathan, the median income in every Canadian province is lower than the median income in every U.S. state.
—Sally Pipes, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leviathan
Cite this Entry
“Leviathan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leviathan. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
leviathan
noun
le·vi·a·than
li-ˈvī-ə-thən
1
often capitalized
: a sea monster often standing for evil in the Old Testament and Christian literature
2
: something very large or powerful of its kind
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