leviathan

noun

le·vi·a·than li-ˈvī-ə-thən

Synonyms of leviathan next

often capitalized : a sea monster defeated by Yahweh in various scriptural accounts

: a large sea animal

this leviathan of animals is the great Blue Whale—

Weston LaBarre

capitalized : the political state

especially : a totalitarian state having a vast bureaucracy

: something large or formidable

that leviathan of international corporations

leviathan adjective

Did you know?

Old Testament references to a huge sea monster, Leviathan (in Hebrew, Liwyāthān), are thought to come from an ancient myth in which the god Baal slays a multiheaded sea monster. Leviathan appears in the Book of Psalms, as a sea serpent that is killed by God and then given as food to creatures in the wilderness, and it is mentioned in the Book of Job as well. Today, its name is used for "something monstrous or of enormous size."

Examples of leviathan in a Sentence

The factory is a towering leviathan in the middle of the town. a leviathan of the seas, that cruise ship is said to be the largest passenger vessel afloat

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

As states roll in, the needle, like a grand, languid leviathan, inches toward the winning side. —

Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2024 This cultural leviathan was launched by the discovery that these ridiculous comic-book figures, generations old, could now land only if treated seriously, with sombre backstories and true stakes. —

Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024 Elon Musk posted a photo on X of a large section of the Super Heavy booster being raised from the Gulf of Mexico, appearing like a twisted mythological Kraken or leviathan. —

Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 27 Sep. 2024 There, the company built a leviathan steel mill and an accompanying town named after its founding chairman, Elbert Henry Gary. —

Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for leviathan