colossal
adjective
co·los·sal
kə-ˈlä-səl 
1
: of, relating to, or resembling a colossus
colossal statues
2
: of a bulk, extent, power, or effect approaching or suggesting the stupendous or incredible
colossal rock formations
colossal stellar explosions
3
: of an exceptional or astonishing degree
a colossal failure
a colossal bore
colossal ambition
Synonyms
- astronomical
- astronomic
- Brobdingnagian
- bumper
- cosmic
- cosmical
- cyclopean
- elephantine
- enormous
- galactic
- gargantuan
- giant
- gigantesque
- gigantic
- grand
- herculean
- heroic
- heroical
- Himalayan
- huge
- humongous
- humungous
- immense
- jumbo
- king-size
- king-sized
- leviathan
- mammoth
- massive
- mega
- mighty
- monster
- monstrous
- monumental
- mountainous
- oceanic
- pharaonic
- planetary
- prodigious
- super
- super-duper
- supersize
- supersized
- titanic
- tremendous
- vast
- vasty
- walloping
- whacking
- whopping
Examples of colossal in a Sentence
a colossal statue of the town's founder
Recent Examples on the Web
Related article Reopening the Port of Baltimore could take weeks as colossal wreckage cleanup gets underway, officials say
That’s well below the national rate of 3.9% in February and ranks 43rd out of 389 regions across the country with more than one million residents.
—
Bryan Mena, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
The national Public Record Office was part of the complex, and that day it was caught in a colossal explosion.
—Ed O’Loughlin, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024
Building bridges is a colossal undertaking, though, and structures that still serve their purpose are unlikely to be replaced.
—Chris Quintana, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
Inspired by the traditional circular homes in the Casamance region in the south of Senegal, the museum is a colossal 150,000-square-foot, four-floor architectural marvel that rivals any global national museum.
—Funmi Fetto, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2024
The coincidences can be comical, but the music is colossal, expressing not only fatefulness but trauma.
—The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2024
What’s more, JavaScript was, in a sense, bailed out of its terribleness by colossal advancements in software engineering and industry-wide efforts.
—Sheon Han, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2024
His colossal book is the centerpiece of the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park, which opens in late March.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
The colossal confection was over 25 feet tall and weighed more than 8,000 pounds.
—Alison Fox, Parents, 22 Mar. 2024
Bryan Mena, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
The national Public Record Office was part of the complex, and that day it was caught in a colossal explosion.
—Ed O’Loughlin, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024
Building bridges is a colossal undertaking, though, and structures that still serve their purpose are unlikely to be replaced.
—Chris Quintana, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
Inspired by the traditional circular homes in the Casamance region in the south of Senegal, the museum is a colossal 150,000-square-foot, four-floor architectural marvel that rivals any global national museum.
—Funmi Fetto, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2024
The coincidences can be comical, but the music is colossal, expressing not only fatefulness but trauma.
—The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2024
What’s more, JavaScript was, in a sense, bailed out of its terribleness by colossal advancements in software engineering and industry-wide efforts.
—Sheon Han, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2024
His colossal book is the centerpiece of the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park, which opens in late March.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
The colossal confection was over 25 feet tall and weighed more than 8,000 pounds.
—Alison Fox, Parents, 22 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'colossal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near colossal
Cite this Entry
“Colossal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colossal. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
colossal
adjective
co·los·sal
kə-ˈläs-əl
1
: of, relating to, or resembling a colossus
especially
: of very great size
a colossal office building
2
: extraordinary, exceptional
colossal growth
a colossal failure
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