colossal
Americanadjective
-
extraordinarily great in size, extent, or degree; gigantic; huge.
-
of or resembling a colossus.
-
(initial capital letter) noting or pertaining to a classical order whose columns or pilasters span two or more stories of a building.
adjective
-
of immense size; huge; gigantic
-
(in figure sculpture) approximately twice life-size Compare heroic
-
Also: giant. architect of or relating to the order of columns and pilasters that extend more than one storey in a façade
Usage
What does colossal mean? Colossal describes something as being very large in size, degree, or amount, as in I went to a colossal shopping mall that stretched for a mile. If something is colossal, it is enormous, gigantic, or massive.Colossal can also be used to describe a large degree of something, that is, a large amount or a large extent, like a colossal amount of boxes or a colossal advantage in the playoffs.Less commonly, colossal describes something as resembling a colossus, which is a very large statue, as in The large man was so colossal that he blocked the entire doorway.Example: Tyrannosaurus rex was a colossal dinosaur that towered over many of the smaller animals.
Related Words
See gigantic.
Other Word Forms
- colossality noun
- colossally adverb
- supercolossal adjective
- supercolossally adverb
Etymology
Origin of colossal
First recorded in 1705–15; coloss(us) + -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The group said earlier this month it would incur colossal charges to finance a shift back to combustion engines and away from producing EVs after sales fell well below expectations.
From Barron's
Sparks fly and metal groans in a cavernous workshop on the outskirts of Islamabad, where Pakistani artist Ehtisham Jadoon fuses discarded car parts into colossal pieces inspired by "Transformers" movies and dinosaurs.
From Barron's
A colossal Welsh failing to some eyes, a piece of Russell genius to others.
From BBC
Pakistan bowled out Namibia for 97 to win by a colossal 102 runs in Colombo and bounce back in style after a defeat to arch-rivals India had left them in danger of elimination.
From Barron's
This promise has exacerbated market worries about Japan's colossal debt, with yields on long-dated government bonds hitting record highs last month.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
