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lunker

lunker

8.9
A very large person, animal, or thing that is impressive in size
  • noun
  • /ˈlʌŋkər/
  • Informal
translation icon : gigante
  • That fish was a real lunker!

Examples

  • They moved a lunker of a refrigerator into their new kitchen.

  • He caught a lunker of a fish that weighed over ten pounds.

  • The old oak tree in the park is a real lunker compared to the others.

  • I caught a huge lunker at the lake yesterday.

  • The fisherman was excited when he caught a lunker that weighed over ten pounds.

  • Everyone was amazed by the lunker that won first prize at the fishing competition.

  • My friend caught a lunker in the lake that was much bigger than any fish I've ever seen.

Synonyms

giant
vslunker
73 1.0

A very large and strong person or thing

is used for unusually large things without implying extreme power or mythic scale
jumbo
vslunker
73 2.5

A very large thing like a pizza or teddy bear

is more about being unusually large and notably impressive rather than just big
whopper
vslunker
9 4.5

A very large thing that surprises people, like a fish or meal

is used particularly for strikingly large items that feel remarkable in size
absolute unit
vslunker
  • Slang
8.3

Someone or something that is very large and impressive, often as a joke

is similar but is typically more neutral and less joking in tone
Gigantopithecus
vslunker
  • Offensive
9.9

A funny name for a very large, rough-looking person or thing

is the neutral term for unusual size without the primitive or playful image

How Big

giant
73 1.0
lunker
  • Informal
8.9
oversize
7 3.2
big
1.0
tiny
1.0

Surface Forms

lunker singular
lunkers plural

Morphology

lunker = lunk (semi-transparent) = lunk + er

The word is clearly built from 'lunk' plus '-er', but the modern meaning of an unusually large entity is a specialized extension rather than a fully regular derivation.

Etymology

Lunker can also mean an unusually large person or thing, and it likely comes from lunk, like lump meaning 'a heavy piece'. So a person or object called a lunker is simply very big, heavy, or impressive in size.