as in magnitude
the quality or state of being very large
the American taste for giantism: big cars, big houses, big servings of food
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Recent Examples of giantism
Brontotheres, the ancient North American ancestors of the horse, is a giantism outlier as—growing from around 40 pounds to four to five tons in 16 million years.
—
Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 16 May 2023
In an especially mind-bending passage, Wengrow and Graeber show that the majority of Paleolithic tombs contained not grandees but individuals with physical anomalies including dwarfism, giantism, and spinal abnormalities.
—Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 11 July 2022
Other prehistoric examples of autapomorphic giantism include the extinct mega-ducks of Hawaii, as well as the dodo, which was essentially an enormous pigeon, said Dr. Worthy.
—Cara Giaimo, New York Times, 6 Aug. 2019
The researchers think the parrot evolved this way because of a phenomenon known as autapomorphic giantism, in which a member of an otherwise moderately sized group becomes humongous by taking over an empty ecological niche.
—Cara Giaimo, New York Times, 6 Aug. 2019
The extraordinary success of the giant three-ring circus gave rise to other forms of exportable American giantism, such as amusement parks, department stores, and shopping malls.
—Janet M. Davis, Smithsonian, 22 Mar. 2017
Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 16 May 2023
In an especially mind-bending passage, Wengrow and Graeber show that the majority of Paleolithic tombs contained not grandees but individuals with physical anomalies including dwarfism, giantism, and spinal abnormalities.
—Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 11 July 2022
Other prehistoric examples of autapomorphic giantism include the extinct mega-ducks of Hawaii, as well as the dodo, which was essentially an enormous pigeon, said Dr. Worthy.
—Cara Giaimo, New York Times, 6 Aug. 2019
The researchers think the parrot evolved this way because of a phenomenon known as autapomorphic giantism, in which a member of an otherwise moderately sized group becomes humongous by taking over an empty ecological niche.
—Cara Giaimo, New York Times, 6 Aug. 2019
The extraordinary success of the giant three-ring circus gave rise to other forms of exportable American giantism, such as amusement parks, department stores, and shopping malls.
—Janet M. Davis, Smithsonian, 22 Mar. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for giantism
Noun
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The Homeschool Act has garnered national media attention due to the magnitude of the ...—
James R. Mason,
National Review,
5 Apr. 2025
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The quake happened along the seismically active Calaveras Fault, which produced the magnitude 6.2 Morgan Hill quake in 1984 and the magnitude 5.9 Coyote Lake quake in 1979.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Its role as an apex predator points to a complex food chain where the availability of large prey could have driven the evolution of gigantism in marine snakes.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
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Surviving here isn’t easy, and finding a mate can be next to impossible—an isolation that has driven unique adaptations like deep-sea gigantism, slow metabolism and extraordinary reproductive strategies.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes,
15 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The compositions prioritize headspace for the sky to take over the frame during exterior shots, communicating Rico’s feeling of insignificance against the immensity of what burdens him.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2025
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Horizons suggest the unencumbered immensity of the Midwest.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
ARTnews.com,
6 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Giantism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/giantism. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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