different between unwieldy vs gargantuan

English

Alternative forms

• unwieldly (less common, possibly nonstandard)

Etymology

From Middle English unweldi, equivalent to un- +? wieldy. Cognate with Middle Low German unweldich (“unwieldy”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /??n?w??l.di/

Adjective

unwieldy (comparative unwieldier, superlative unwieldiest)

1. (obsolete) Lacking strength; weak.
2. (obsolete) Ungraceful in movement.
3. Difficult to carry, handle, manage or operate because of its size, weight, shape or complexity.
4. Badly managed or operated.

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Derived terms

• unwieldiness

Translations

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “unwieldy”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

English

Etymology

From French Gargantua, a giant with a very large appetite in Rabelais's The Inestimable Life of Gargantua. Rabelais derived Gargantua from the Portuguese and Spanish garganta (“throat”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?????æn.t?u.?n/

Adjective

gargantuan (comparative more gargantuan, superlative most gargantuan)

1. Huge; immense; tremendous.

   Synonyms: colossal, enormous, giant, huge, humongous, immense; see also Thesaurus:gigantic
2. (obsolete) Of the giant Gargantua or his appetite.

Derived terms

• gargantuanism
• gargantuanly
• gargantuanness

Translations

Further reading

• “gargantuan”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.

References