mammoth 1 of 2

Definition of mammothnext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word mammoth distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of mammoth are colossal, enormous, gigantic, huge, immense, and vast. While all these words mean "exceedingly large," mammoth suggests both hugeness and ponderousness of bulk.

a mammoth boulder

When might colossal be a better fit than mammoth?

Although the words colossal and mammoth have much in common, colossal applies especially to a human creation of stupendous or incredible dimensions.

a colossal statue of Lincoln

How are the words enormous and immense related as synonyms of mammoth?

Enormous and immense both suggest an exceeding of all ordinary bounds in size or amount or degree, but enormous often adds an implication of abnormality or monstrousness.

an enormous expense
an immense shopping mall

When would gigantic be a good substitute for mammoth?

The words gigantic and mammoth can be used in similar contexts, but gigantic stresses the contrast with the size of others of the same kind.

a gigantic sports stadium

When can huge be used instead of mammoth?

In some situations, the words huge and mammoth are roughly equivalent. However, huge commonly suggests an immensity of bulk or amount.

incurred a huge debt

Where would vast be a reasonable alternative to mammoth?

The meanings of vast and mammoth largely overlap; however, vast usually suggests immensity of extent.

the vast Russian steppes

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mammoth
Adjective
Last year, the Portland Art Museum debuted the results of its mammoth renovation, which cost $116 million to complete. News Desk, Artforum, 12 Aug. 2026 For decades, scientists have been recovering bits and pieces of mammoth tusks, bones, teeth and hair. CBS News, 4 Aug. 2026
Noun
According to this theory, those now-extinct megafauna—the giant ground sloths and the giant beavers, the mastodons and mammoths, and even the lions and dire wolves—were relatively quickly hunted to extinction. Literary Hub, 10 June 2026 For the next 49,000 years, the sticky pits captured virtually everything that fell or walked onto them, from grains of pollen borne by the wind to hapless ancient camels and Columbian mammoths. Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for mammoth
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mammoth
Adjective
  • Kneeling beside the fallen buck, Charles, an avid trophy bowhunter, ran his hands over the gigantic rack.
    Jeff Murray, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Lakes Mead and Powell, which are essentially one gigantic reservoir separated by the Grand Canyon, hold just under 60% of the total watercurrently stored in the Colorado River basin.
    Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • His job included photographing whale tails to identify individual animals and monitor their movements.
    Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The three whales relocated to San Diego will raise the park’s number of belugas to six.
    Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Hardware rich… Engineers have reams of data from all 13 test flights of Starship and its giant booster rocket, known as the Super Heavy.
    Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Returning and reflying both Starship stages is a key component in SpaceX's design for the giant rocket, which will be the largest, most powerful launch vehicle in history once the company works out all its kinks.
    Josh Dinner, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Hathaway plays a suburban mom whose neighborhood is suddenly and mysteriously transported from 1982 to prehistoric times, putting family and neighbors at the mercy of hungry dinosaurs.
    The Week US, TheWeek, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The real end of Oak Street comes not from the feet and chompers of the dinosaurs but from a moviemaker who revives the idyllic 1980s only to desecrate them with wokeness.
    Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • But even when care is available, stigma can still present a huge barrier.
    Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Fifth Round - Romero 10-9 (Lopez 49-46) Romero opened a huge gash over Lopez’s eye with a left hook and then nearly dropped him with a right hand.
    Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Trying to clear his name, Eddie Brock is hunted by a monster sent by the creator of the symbiotes, only to uncover a secret operation in Area 51 to harvest the creatures and exploit them.
    K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The league is hurtling toward an ugly lockout, with owners preparing to cry poverty and demand a hard salary cap to stop the spending monster in Southern California.
    Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Tucker is being counted on as a middle-of-the-order presence, but the enormous contract has made every prolonged downturn more difficult to ignore.
    Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The researchers argue that the enormous cliff system triggered prolonged erosion that stripped away vast amounts of rock and helped expose some of North America’s oldest geological formations.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Discworld is a flat earth balanced on the backs of four elephants, which are in turn standing on an enormous turtle, Great A’Tuin.
    Carline Tromp, The Dial, 18 Aug. 2026
  • These tactics reduced the effectiveness of the elephants and disrupted the cohesion of Hemu’s attack.
    Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Mammoth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mammoth. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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