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Giant vs Massive - What's the difference?

giant | massive | Synonyms |

Massive is a synonym of giant.



As nouns the difference between giant and massive

is that giant is a mythical human of very great size while massive is a homogeneous mass of rock, not layered and without an obvious crystal structure.

As adjectives the difference between giant and massive

is that giant is very large while massive is of or pertaining to a large mass; weighty, heavy, or bulky.

giant

English

Alternative forms

* giaunt (obsolete)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A mythical human of very great size.
  • (lb) Specifically, any of the Gigantes, the race of giants in the Greek mythology.
  • A very tall person.
  • A tall species of a particular animal or plant.
  • (lb) A star that is considerably more luminous than a main sequence star of the same temperature (e.g. red giant, blue giant).
  • (lb) An Ethernet packet that exceeds the medium's maximum packet size of 1,518 bytes.
  • A very large organisation.
  • A person of extraordinary strength or powers, bodily or intellectual.
  • *
  • But then I had the flintlock by me for protection. ¶ There were giants in the days when that gun was made; for surely no modern mortal could have held that mass of metal steady to his shoulder. The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window.

    Synonyms

    See also:

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Very large.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-26, author= Nick Miroff
  • , volume=189, issue=7, page=32, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Mexico gets a taste for eating insects […] , passage=The San Juan market is Mexico City's most famous deli of exotic meats, where an adventurous shopper can hunt down hard-to-find critters […]. But the priciest items in the market aren't the armadillo steaks or even the bluefin tuna. That would be the frozen chicatanas giant winged ants – at around $500 a kilo.}}

    Synonyms

    * colossal, enormous, gigantic, immense, prodigious, vast * See also

    Antonyms

    * dwarf * midget

    Derived terms

    * giant cell * giant clam * giantess * giant heron * giantism * giant kettle * giant powder * giant puffball * giant salamander * giant squid * giant white radish

    Anagrams

    *

    massive

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Of or pertaining to a large mass; weighty, heavy, or bulky.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1959, author=(Georgette Heyer), title=(The Unknown Ajax), chapter=1
  • , passage=But Richmond
  • Much larger than normal.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-21, author= Chico Harlan
  • , volume=189, issue=2, page=30, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Japan pockets the subsidy […] , passage=Across Japan, technology companies and private investors are racing to install devices that until recently they had little interest in: solar panels. Massive solar parks are popping up as part of a rapid build-up that one developer likened to an "explosion."}}
  • Of great significance or import; overwhelming.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= The attack of the MOOCs , passage=Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete.}}
  • (label) Of a specimen not exhibiting crystal form.
  • Of particularly exceptional quality or value; awesome.
  • * {{quote-newsgroup, year=1995, date=November 29, author=harry knowles, newsgroup=rec.arts.sf.movies
  • , title= INDEPENDENCE DAY-----------MASSIVE COOL SPOILERS DON'T OPEN IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW , passage=Ok true believers here is the low down of massive coolness.}}
  • * {{quote-newsgroup, year=1998, date=February 13, author=David Farrar, newsgroup=Re: Te Papa
  • , title= nz.reg.wellington.general , passage=Heaps excited about it - I'm planning for a massive day.}}
  • * {{quote-newsgroup, year=1998, date=July 2, author=super disco dan, newsgroup=alt.music.beastie-boys
  • , title= Deasties rock the Hurricane- 06/21/98 , passage=saw the beasties last week in GERMANY at a massive little party called the Hurricane Festival outside Hamburg and here's how it all shook down
  • * {{quote-newsgroup, year=2003, date=June 11, author=Glenn Wendyhouse, newsgroup=uk.people.gothic
  • , title= WENDYHOUSE June 21st , passage=OPEN THROUGH THE SUMMER: We are on the 3rd Saturday of the month, remain at the same venue, at the same price, at the same times and always give you a massive night out to remember (unless you've drunk too much bargain University booze!).}}
  • * {{quote-newsgroup, year=2010, date=July 30, author=Robbie, newsgroup=uk.music.charts
  • , title= Re: Survivable album chart from 2001 , passage=I own this one, bought it because I liked Slide. The album is quite dull. They were massive back in the day}}
  • Possessing mass.
  • Synonyms

    * (of or pertaining to a large mass) bulky, heavy, hefty, substantial, weighty * (much larger than normal) colossal, enormous, gargantuan, giant, gigantic, great, huge, mahoosive (slang), titanic * (of great significance or import) consequential, meaningful, overwhelming, significant, weighty * (of grandeur ) awesome, super, excellent, stupendous

    Antonyms

    * (of or pertaining to a large mass) insubstantial, light * (much larger than normal) dwarf, little, microscopic, midget, minuscule, pint-sized, tiny, wee * (of great significance or import) inconsequential, insignificant, piddling, trifling, trivial, unimportant * (of grandeur ) lame, stale, disappointing, crappy * (of having a positive mass) massless

    Derived terms

    * mahoosive (slang) * massively * massiveness * MOOC (massive open online course)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (mineralogy) A homogeneous mass of rock, not layered and without an obvious crystal structure.
  • karst massives in western Georgia

    Anagrams

    * ----