EN

Synonyms for big

  • adjective
  • adverb

Most common

huge large massive gigantic handsome big-hearted mature pregnant

Synonyms by meaning

Adjective

1. Huge — of great size, large. Fat

huge, large, massive, gigantic, important, grand, giant, enormous, immense, vast, sizable US, sizeable UK, monstrous, wide, hulking, fat, tremendous, voluminous, whopping, colossal, bulky, proud, gargantuan

2. Handsome

handsome, big-hearted, giving, bountiful, free-handed

3. Mature — adult; (of a child) older

mature, full-grown, adult, grown-up

4. Pregnant — large with young; pregnant; swelling; ready to give birth or produce

pregnant, expecting, gravid, expectant

Other

significant, generous, bad, grown US, liberal, prominent, worked up informal, weighty, meaningful, magnanimous, all the rage, mad

Adverb

1. Hugely — in a large amount or to a large extent

hugely, massively

Antonyms

small, little, tiny

All antonyms of big →

Definitions

  1. adj. 1

    Of great size, large. Fat.

  2. adj. 2

    Large with young; pregnant; swelling; ready to give birth or produce.

  3. adj. 3

    Adult; (of a child) older.

    She did it all on her own like a big girl.

  4. adv. 1

    In a large amount or to a large extent.

    He won big betting on the croquet championship.

Related words

Word family
big-ass big-boned big-breasted biggish biggity big-hearted bighorn bigleaf
Phrases
big gun big cheese big up big wheel big name big shot big enchilada big kahuna

From weakest to strongest

  1. tiny
  2. small
  3. little
  4. big
  5. large
  6. huge
  7. massive
  8. giant
  9. enormous
  10. gigantic

From the opposite of big, on the left, to its strongest synonyms, on the right.

Choose the right word

Big or Large?

Big is a more emphatic word than large, but of less dignity. We do not say that George Washington was a big man.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

  • important Tourism is important to the economy of my country.
  • huge Yesterday I went to the zoo and saw a huge walrus.
  • massive Algeria exports massive quantities of natural gas.
  • gigantic The Algiers Grand Mosque is a gigantic structure.
  • significant Mushrooms contain significant amounts of minerals.
  • prominent High fever is a prominent symptom of this disease.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
bigrising
importantsteady
hugerising
massivesteady
giganticsteady
significantsteady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters
bad1, fat1, mad1
4 letters
huge1, wide1, vast1
5 letters
large1, grand1, proud1, adult2, grown1, giant2, bulky2
6 letters
giving2, mature2, hugely2, gravid
7 letters
massive2, liberal3, immense2, sizable3, weighty2, hulking2
8 letters
pregnant2, enormous3, handsome2, generous3, gigantic3, colossal3, sizeable3, whopping2
9 letters
important3, expecting3, prominent3, massively3, monstrous2, expectant3, bountiful3
10 letters
tremendous3, meaningful3, voluminous4, gargantuan4
11 letters
significant4, magnanimous4

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (adult2 = 2 syllables).