Word
godzilla
Phoneticsgodzil·la
/ˌɡɑˈdzɪlə/
Definition
n. a famous giant monster from Japanese movies that looks like a dinosaur and destroys cities. People often use the name to describe anything that is unusually large or powerful.
n. a fictional prehistoric sea monster awakened or empowered by nuclear radiation, originally appearing in Japanese cinema. When used metaphorically, it refers to something of enormous size, power, or destructive potential.
Examples
“The new skyscraper is a Godzilla among smaller buildings.”
“The film studio released a new version of Godzilla to celebrate the character's seventieth anniversary.”
“In cultural studies, the figure of Godzilla is frequently analyzed as a metaphor for nuclear trauma and the unintended consequences of scientific hubris.”
Examples
simple
“The new skyscraper is a Godzilla among smaller buildings.”
contextual
“The film studio released a new version of Godzilla to celebrate the character's seventieth anniversary.”
complex
“In cultural studies, the figure of Godzilla is frequently analyzed as a metaphor for nuclear trauma and the unintended consequences of scientific hubris.”
Usage
When used as a common noun, it is often capitalized; it can also be used as a prefix (e.g., 'Godzilla-sized') to emphasize scale.
Real-World Examples
“When Godzilla first reared up from the boiling ocean in 1954, it was the pitiless embodiment of nuclear devastation in a Japanese film that still stands, 70 years on, as the darkest and most sombre monster movie ever made.” “Ever since he first lumbered on to the big screen in Ishiro Honda’s 1954 original film, Godzilla has been more than just a monster.” “For Japanese children, Godzilla is the ultimate scary adult: fierce, honourable, clumsy and a bit out of control.” “Godzilla serves as a powerful metaphor for the persistent struggle of returning home after war.” Etymology
From Japanese ゴジラ (Gojira), a blend coined for the 1954 film from ゴリラ (gorira, "gorilla") and 鯨 (kujira, "whale"). The portmanteau was devised to suggest a creature of colossal scale and primate form.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The word in film
Poster: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Godzilla · 1954 · Sci-Fi
- Directed by:
- Ishirō Honda
- Starring:
- Takashi Shimura, Momoko Kōchi, Akira Takarada
Ishirō Honda directs this seminal 1954 science fiction film about a colossal prehistoric reptile awakened and empowered by nuclear radiation. The titular creature emerges from the sea to devastate Tokyo, establishing Godzilla as the iconic giant monster that symbolizes catastrophic destructive power in popular culture.
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