Leviathan
noun /lɪˈvaɪ.ə.θən/ — A thing of immense size or power
Definition
A massive sea monster of biblical origin — or any thing of enormous power and size: a vast organisation, an overwhelming force, an institution that moves slowly but cannot be stopped.
Beyond the definition
The word for power too large to see whole. A leviathan is not just big — it is big in a way that makes your scale of measurement feel irrelevant.
Origin & history
From Hebrew 'livyathan' — a coiled sea creature mentioned in Job, Psalms, and Isaiah. Thomas Hobbes used it as the title of his work on the state: the sovereign power as sea-monster.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The corporation had become a leviathan — profitable, unstoppable, and entirely indifferent to individual lives.
The tanker passed slowly — a leviathan that made the smaller vessels rock in its wake without noticing them.
Hobbes' Leviathan argued that only a sovereign monster could keep human monsters in check.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Leviathan” when the meaning fits your context: A massive sea monster of biblical origin — or any thing of enormous power and size: a vast organisation, an overwhelming force, an institution that moves slowly but cannot be stopped.
Synonyms
behemoth, giant, colossus, titan, juggernaut
Antonyms
minnow, pygmy
Related words
Questions about this word
What does "Leviathan" mean?
Leviathan is noun meaning: A thing of immense size or power. A massive sea monster of biblical origin — or any thing of enormous power and size: a vast organisation, an overwhelming force, an institution that moves slowly but cannot be stopped.
Where does the word "Leviathan" come from?
From Hebrew 'livyathan' — a coiled sea creature mentioned in Job, Psalms, and Isaiah. Thomas Hobbes used it as the title of his work on the state: the sovereign power as sea-monster.