humongous

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "humongous" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that is extremely large or massive, often in an informal context. Example: "The humongous elephant at the zoo drew a crowd of amazed visitors."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Even with compression, transmitting such humongous files over the air or by cable would require more bandwidth, at far greater infrastructural cost, than broadcasters can afford.

The Economist

This provides a truly humongous 340 billion billion billion billion unique addresses, enough to keep the internet of things going for the next few centuries.Second, there was nowhere near enough bandwidth for the digital traffic streaming back from objects in the environment to servers that analyse the "machine-to-machine" data.

The Economist

I am tired of using the same old descriptions of America's current account imbalances that everyone falls back on gigantic, humongous, titanic, and a few things that can't be printed in a general interest newspaper.

The Economist

Microsoft has now married access to the TerraServer website to "Encarta", its multimedia CD-ROM, so users can read encyclopedia articles related to aerial images that they spot on the website.But the TerraServer database is not just a humongous atlas.

The Economist

One banker at UBS, in asking a broker to help manipulate submissions, promised ample recompense:"I will fucking do one humongous deal with you... Like a 50, 000 buck deal, whatever.

The Economist

Second, blast the drive with a humongous magnetic field.

The Economist

Palaeontologists recognise five such humongous events, when up to 90% of species have disappeared.

The Economist

Panasonic of Japan, Tesla's partner in the lithium-ion venture, had already promised $1 billion towards the humongous plant.

The Economist

It is the first step in Dr Hills's project of designing a system that can be used more or less anywhere.Similar nifty programming will be required if Wireless Andrew, or its successors, are to handle the truly humongous amounts of data that will soon be in demand.

The Economist

Recently, Sharp unveiled the first fruit of its collaboration with NHK a 4320p prototype with a humongous 85-inch screen and a resolution of 103ppi.

The Economist

"It's costing us a humongous amount of money to deliver these obligations to the Government, because we mis-priced them," he says.

Independent

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "humongous" to add emphasis and an informal tone, particularly when describing something surprisingly or impressively large in everyday contexts. Be mindful of your audience, as it may not be appropriate in all formal settings.

Common error

Avoid using "humongous" in highly formal writing, such as academic papers or business reports. Opt for more neutral alternatives like "enormous" or "substantial" to maintain a professional tone.

Linguistic Context

The word "humongous" functions primarily as an adjective, modifying nouns to indicate an extremely large size. Ludwig AI confirms its usability in English, and the examples show it frequently used to describe physical objects, amounts, and even abstract concepts.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

74%

Science

26%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

"Humongous" is an adjective used to describe something extremely large. While grammatically correct and widely understood, as Ludwig AI points out, it is considered informal and is best used in casual contexts. Its primary function is to emphasize size, often with a sense of surprise. The word appears most frequently in News & Media sources. If you're looking for alternatives, consider "enormous" or "gigantic" for a more formal tone. Remember to avoid "humongous" in professional or academic writing where a more neutral word choice is preferred.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

enormous

A very close synonym, generally interchangeable but perhaps slightly more formal.

gigantic

Similar to "humongous", emphasizing immense size.

immense

Indicates something exceptionally large and often immeasurable.

huge

A common and versatile synonym for large size.

massive

Suggests great size and weight, or scale.

colossal

Implies extraordinary size, often with an imposing quality.

tremendous

Can refer to size but often emphasizes the impact or effect of something.

vast

Indicates a very large expanse or area.

whopping

An informal synonym emphasizing an unexpectedly large size.

prodigious

Suggests something impressively great in extent, size, or degree.

FAQs

How can I use "humongous" in a sentence?

"Humongous" is typically used as an adjective to describe something exceptionally large. For example, "The elephant was humongous" or "They had a humongous amount of data to process".

What are some alternatives to "humongous"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives such as "enormous", "gigantic", "huge", or "massive".

Is "humongous" a formal or informal word?

"Humongous" is generally considered an informal word. While widely understood, it's best reserved for casual conversation and less formal writing. In professional or academic contexts, more formal synonyms like "enormous" or "substantial" might be preferable.

What is the difference between "humongous" and "gigantic"?

While both "humongous" and "gigantic" describe something very large, "humongous" often carries a slightly more informal and emphatic tone. "Gigantic" may suggest something impressively large, while "humongous" emphasizes sheer size, often in a more casual way.