All Words > Brobdingnagian

illustration Brobdingnagian

Brobdingnagian

[brohb-ding-NAG-ee-ən]

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: English, early 18th century

1.

Of gigantic size

2.

Of or relating to the fictional land of Brobdingnag

Examples of Brobdingnagian in a sentence

"There was no way the Brobdingnagian bouquet of flowers was going to fit on her tiny desk."

"His favorite parts of 'Gulliver’s Travels' were the elaborate descriptions of the Brobdingnagian people."

About Brobdingnagian

The adjective "Brobdingnagian," taken from the name of a mythical land of giants, describes anything of tremendous size. It could be comparatively large, such as a king-sized candy bar to a fun size, or it could be indisputably mammoth, such as the Great Wall of China.

Did you Know?

This gigantic adjective comes directly from the pages of Jonathan Swift’s 1726 novel “Gulliver’s Travels.” In it, Lemuel Gulliver landed in the fictional land of Brobdingnag after his ship was blown off course. This strange country is inhabited by giants, standing some 60 feet tall. The geographical features, plants, and animals are all in scale with the giants. Brobdingnagian (always capitalized) has come to mean anything of giant proportions.

illustration Brobdingnagian

Recent Words

What's the word?