giant
/'dʤaiənt/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A being of human form but superhuman size and strength: An imaginary or mythical creature, often appearing in folklore and fairy tales.
- A person or thing of extraordinary size, power, or importance: Someone or something that is abnormally large, powerful, or influential within a particular field.
- A very large and bright star: In astronomy, a star of relatively low density and large diameter compared to the Sun.
Adjective:
- Marked by exceptionally great size, mass, or power: Used to describe something that is huge, enormous, or of extraordinary scale.
Examples of Usage
Noun:
- The story featured a friendly giant who lived on a mountain. (The story featured a friendly being of superhuman size who lived on a mountain.)
- He is a giant in the field of theoretical physics. (He is a person of exceptional importance in the field of theoretical physics.)
- The company became a retail giant. (The company became an unusually large and powerful retail enterprise.)
Adjective:
- They built a giant stadium for the games. (They built a stadium of enormous size for the games.)
- The discovery was a giant step forward for science. (The discovery was a step of extraordinary importance forward for science.)
Advanced Usage
"A giant among men": A phrase used to describe a person of exceptional moral stature, influence, or achievement.
- His humanitarian work made him a giant among men. (His humanitarian work made him a person of exceptional moral stature.)
"To have giant shoulders": A metaphorical expression (often "to stand on the shoulders of giants") meaning to benefit from the knowledge and discoveries of great people who came before.
- Modern scientists stand on the shoulders of giants. (Modern scientists build upon the work of exceptionally brilliant predecessors.)
Variants and Related Words
Gigantic (adj): Of very great size or extent; enormous.
- They faced a gigantic task. (They faced an enormous task.)
Giantess (n): A female giant.
- The myth told of a gentle giantess. (The myth told of a gentle female giant.)
Synonyms
- Colossus: A person or thing of enormous size, importance, or ability.
- Titan: A person or thing of very great strength, intellect, or importance.
- Behemoth: Something enormous, especially a large and powerful organization.
Related Phrases
- Sleeping giant: A person, organization, or country with great potential or power that is not currently active or recognized.
- The region was considered a sleeping giant of economic growth. (The region was considered a place with great, unrealized economic potential.)
Related Idioms
A giant leap: A very significant advance or progress.
- The invention of the telephone was a giant leap for communication. (The invention of the telephone was a very significant advance for communication.)
To slay a giant: To overcome a very large obstacle or defeat a much more powerful opponent.
- The small startup aimed to slay the industry giant. (The small startup aimed to defeat the much larger, dominant company in the industry.)
Adjective
- of great mass; huge and bulky
- a jumbo jet
- jumbo shrimp
Noun
- a very bright star of large diameter and low density (relative to the Sun)
- an imaginary figure of superhuman size and strength; appears in folklore and fairy tales
- someone or something that is abnormally large and powerful
- a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
- an unusually large enterprise
- Walton built a retail giant
- a person of exceptional importance and reputation
- any creature of exceptional size