Large — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective adverb noun /ˈlärj/

Meaning & Definition of Large

Large (adjective)

  1. exceeding most other things of like kind especially in quantity or size, big
  2. dealing in great numbers or quantities
  3. having more than usual capacity or scope, comprehensive

Large (adverb)

  1. in a large manner, extravagantly
  2. with the wind abaft the beam
  3. in abundance, amply, liberally

Large (noun)

  1. a thousand dollars
  2. liberality, generosity

Large (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. of a size greater than average of its kind

    "he was hungry, so he ordered the large pizza"

    similar: big, biggish, boxcar, bulky, considerable, goodly, grand, great, handsome, hefty, hulking, husky, largish, outsize, oversize, sizable, substantial, tidy, voluminous
    related: astronomical, Brobdingnagian, bumper, Bunyanesque, cavernous, colossal, cosmic, cyclopean, elephantine, enormous, galactic, gargantuan, gigantic, gross, hellacious, herculean, heroic, Himalayan, huge, humongous, immense, jumbo, king-size, leviathan, major, mammoth, massive, monolithic, monstrous, monumental, mountainous, pharaonic, prodigious, staggering, stupendous, super, super-duper, supersized, titanic, tremendous, vast, vasty, walloping, whacking, whopping, excessive, exorbitant, extravagant, extreme, immoderate, inordinate, abundant, ample, appreciable, copious, plentiful, fat, thick, capacious, commodious, roomy, spacious
    opposite: bantam, dinky, dwarf, dwarfish, little, puny, shrimpy, small, smallish, undersized
    near: diminutive, half-pint, infinitesimal, Lilliputian, little bitty, microminiature, microscopic, mini, miniature, minuscule, minute, pint-size, pocket-size, pygmy, teensy, teensy-weensy, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, wee, petite, slender, slight, slim, thin

  2. enjoying widespread favor or approval

    "a color that will be very large this spring if the fashion designers have their way"

    similar: big, crowd-pleasing, du jour, faddish, faddy, fashionable, favorite, happening, hot, in, modish, pop, popular, popularized, red-hot, vogue, voguish
    related: semipopular, preferred, selected, desirable, liked, wanted, celebrated, famed, famous, noted, notorious, prominent, renowned, well-known, fabled, fabulous, legendary, leading, notable, outstanding, remarkable, important, significant
    opposite: out, unfashionable, unpopular
    near: washed-up, despised, detested, disliked, hated, rejected, insignificant, unimportant, indistinguished, unexceptional, anonymous, nameless, obscure, unknown, inconspicuous

Large (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. in a luxurious manner

    "college students living large on generous allowances from indulgent parents"

    similar: expensively, extravagantly, fatly, grandly, high, lavishly, luxuriously, opulently, palatially, plushly, richly, sumptuously
    related: imposingly, impressively, magnificently, splendidly, grandiosely, ostentatiously, pompously, pretentiously, affluently, comfortably, fine, wealthily, immoderately, indulgently, intemperately, prodigally, wantonly, wastefully
    opposite: austerely, humbly, modestly, plainly, simply
    near: unpretentiously, cheaply, economically, frugally, inexpensively, meagerly, poorly, skimpily, sparely, sparingly, thriftily, conservatively, moderately, prudently, reasonably, restrainedly, sensibly, temperately

Related Entry: Large-minded (adjective)

Large-minded is a different word from Large. The synonyms below are for large-minded, not for large.

  1. as in lenient, tolerant

    similar: forbearing, indulgent, lenient, permissive, tolerant, advanced, contemporary, modern, extreme, broad-minded, liberal, nonconventional, nonorthodox, nontraditional, open-minded, progressive, radical, unconventional, unorthodox, impartial, objective, unbiased
    opposite: conservative, conventional, hidebound, nonprogressive, old-fashioned, orthodox, stodgy, traditional, hard, rigid, strict, doctrinal, dogmatic, bigoted, blinkered, intolerant, narrow-minded, reactionary, unreconstructed

Related Entry: By and large (adverb)

By and large is a different word from Large. The synonyms below are for by and large, not for large.

  1. for the most part

    "by and large, that information is accurate"

    similar: altogether, basically, chiefly, generally, largely, mainly, mostly, overall, predominantly, primarily, principally, substantially, in general, on the whole
    related: about, more or less, most, much, near, nearly, next to, nigh, practically, some, virtually, well-nigh, approximately, broadly, plus or minus, roughly, commonly, frequently, normally, ordinarily, typically, usually, incompletely, partially, partly, rather, somewhat
    near: completely, entirely, fully, perfectly, thoroughly, totally, wholly, barely, hardly, just, marginally, minimally, scarcely, absolutely, categorically, unqualifiedly

Related Entry: At large (phrase)

At large is a different word from Large. The synonyms below are for at large, not for large.

  1. not bound, confined, or detained by force

    "We heard on the radio that there was an escaped prisoner at large."

    similar: footloose, free, loose, unbound, unconfined, unrestrained, at liberty
    related: escaped, uncaged, unchained, unfettered, unleashed, uncaught, unanchored, unbolted, undone, unfastened, untied, clear, disengaged
    opposite: bound, confined, restrained, unfree
    near: caught, caged, chained, enclosed, immured, imprisoned, leashed, penned, anchored, bolted, fastened, fettered, manacled, shackled, tied, kidnapped

Related Entry: Write (verb)

Write is a different word from Large. The synonyms below are for write, not for large.

  1. to compose and set down on paper the words of

    "a staunch supporter of the old school, he prefers to write all of his letters by hand"

    similar: author, pen, scratch (out), scribble
    related: cast, compose, craft, draft, draw up, formulate, frame, prepare, recast, redraft, revise, rewrite, letter, print, type, typewrite, record, take down, transcribe, autograph, pencil (in), register, sign, couch, express, phrase, put, word

  2. to engage in an exchange of written messages

    "promise you'll write while you're away"

    similar: correspond
    related: communicate, intercommunicate, airmail, e-mail, telegraph, mail, post, answer, reply

Related Entry: Written (verb)

Written is a different word from Large. The synonyms below are for written, not for large.

  1. to compose and set down on paper the words of

    "a staunch supporter of the old school, he prefers to write all of his letters by hand"

    similar: authored, penned, scratched (out), scribbled
    related: cast, composed, crafted, drafted, drawn up, formulated, framed, prepared, recast, redrafted, revised, rewritten, lettered, printed, typed, typewritten, recorded, taken down, transcribed, autographed, penciled (in), registered, signed, couched, expressed, phrased, put, worded

  2. to engage in an exchange of written messages

    "promise you'll write while you're away"

    similar: corresponded
    related: communicated, intercommunicated, airmailed, e-mailed, telegraphed, mailed, posted, answered, replied

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Large

The most common words with a similar meaning to Large:

big, biggish, boxcar, bulky, considerable, goodly, grand, great, handsome, hefty, hulking, husky, largish, outsize, oversize, sizable, substantial, tidy, voluminous, crowd-pleasing, du jour, faddish, faddy, fashionable, favorite, happening, hot, in, modish, pop, popular, popularized, red-hot, vogue, voguish, expensively, extravagantly, fatly, grandly, high

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Large

Words with the opposite meaning of Large:

bantam, dinky, dwarf, dwarfish, little, puny, shrimpy, small, smallish, undersized, out, unfashionable, unpopular, austerely, humbly, modestly, plainly, simply

Related Words for Large

astronomical, Brobdingnagian, bumper, Bunyanesque, cavernous, colossal, cosmic, cyclopean, elephantine, enormous, galactic, gargantuan, gigantic, gross, hellacious, herculean, heroic, Himalayan, huge, humongous, immense, jumbo, king-size, leviathan, major, mammoth, massive, monolithic, monstrous, monumental

Near Antonyms of Large

diminutive, half-pint, infinitesimal, Lilliputian, little bitty, microminiature, microscopic, mini, miniature, minuscule, minute, pint-size, pocket-size, pygmy, teensy, teensy-weensy, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, wee, petite, slender, slight, slim, thin, washed-up, despised, detested, disliked, hated

Word Forms of Large

Inflections: larger, largest

Derived words: largeness (noun), largish (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Large

Middle English, from Anglo-French, broad, wide, generous, from Latin largus generous, plentiful

First known use: 13th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Large

Words & Phrases Containing Large

large calorie, large-hearted, large intestine, large language model, Large Magellanic Cloud, large-minded, large-print

Frequently Asked Questions about Large

What does "Large" mean?

"Large" means exceeding most other things of like kind especially in quantity or size, big. As an an adjective, an adverb and a noun, it is defined as: exceeding most other things of like kind especially in quantity or size, big. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Large"?

Other words for "Large" include big, biggish, boxcar, bulky, considerable, goodly, grand and great. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Large" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Large"?

There are 150 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Large". Common alternatives include big, biggish, boxcar, bulky, considerable, goodly, grand, great, handsome and hefty.

What is the opposite of "Large"?

Antonyms of "Large" include bantam, dinky, dwarf, dwarfish, little, puny, shrimpy and small. Near antonyms include diminutive, half-pint, infinitesimal and Lilliputian.

How do you use "Large" in a sentence?

Examples of "Large" in a sentence: "he was hungry, so he ordered the large pizza"; "a color that will be very large this spring if the fashion designers have their way"; "college students living large on generous allowances from indulgent parents".

Is "Large" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Large" can be used as an adjective, an adverb and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Large" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Large" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Large"?

"Large" is pronounced /ˈlärj/.