big five
The term "big five" is used in various fields to denote a significant group of five entities, whether they are personality traits, animals, companies, or studios.
Definition
B2Psychology
(academic, technical)A model describing five major dimensions of human personality: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.
Example
- The Big Five personality traits are commonly used in psychological research to understand human behavior.
- Openness is one of the dimensions in the Big Five model.
B2Wildlife
(safari, ecology)The five most challenging and dangerous animals to hunt on foot in Africa: lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo.
Example
- Many tourists go on safaris in Africa hoping to see the Big Five.
- The Big Five are considered the most dangerous game animals in Africa.
C1Business
(historical, accounting)The five largest international accounting and professional services firms before the collapse of Arthur Andersen: Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and Arthur Andersen.
Example
- Before the scandal, Arthur Andersen was part of the Big Five accounting firms.
- The Big Five accounting firms were known for their global influence.
C1Publishing
(industry)The five largest book publishing companies in the world: Penguin Random House, Hachette Livre, HarperCollins, Macmillan Publishers, and Simon & Schuster.
Example
- Many bestselling authors are published by the Big Five publishing houses.
- The Big Five dominate the global book publishing market.
C1Film
(industry)The five major film studios in Hollywood: Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures, and Walt Disney Pictures.
Example
- The Big Five studios produce most of the blockbuster films in Hollywood.
- Warner Bros. is one of the Big Five film studios.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "big five":