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Gargantua is the name of a giant king in François Rabelais's 16th-century satiric novel Gargantua, the second part of a five-volume series about the giant and his son Pantagruel. All of the details of Gargantua's life befit a giant. He rides a colossal mare whose tail switches so violently that it fells the entire forest of Orleans. He has an enormous appetite, such that in one incident he inadvertently swallows five pilgrims while eating a salad. The scale of everything connected with Gargantua led to the adjective gargantuan, which since William Shakespeare's time has been used for anything of tremendous size or volume.
Examples of gargantuan in a Sentence
Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025
Paul voted no after objecting for months to lifting the nation’s borrowing authority by $5 trillion as part of the gargantuan bill.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 2 July 2025
Buc-ee's continues to expand its footprint of gargantuan gas stations with locations slated to open across the country.
—Brandi D. Addison, Austin American Statesman, 1 July 2025
Joining dozens of other locations across the United States, gargantuan gas-station chain Buc-ee's is set to open two stores this week, including its first store in Virginia.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 1 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Gargantuan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gargantuan. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gargantuan
adjective
from Gargantua, a giant with an enormous appetite in books by the French author François Rabelais
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