colossal
Americanadjective
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extraordinarily great in size, extent, or degree; gigantic; huge.
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of or resembling a colossus.
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(initial capital letter) noting or pertaining to a classical order whose columns or pilasters span two or more stories of a building.
adjective
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of immense size; huge; gigantic
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(in figure sculpture) approximately twice life-size Compare heroic
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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.
Synonym Usage
See gigantic.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of colossal
First recorded in 1705–15; coloss(us) + -al 1
Explanation
Colossal describes something so large it makes you say, "Whoa!" You might have a colossal amount of homework, or see a colossal pyramid while vacationing in Egypt. Colossal can refer to an item's physical size, like a giant redwood tree, but it can also be used to describe the force or scope of something — like the colossal force of a thunderstorm that knocked down the redwood tree, or the colossal scope of your school project on the history of the redwoods that seems like it will never, ever end. It comes from the Greek word kolossos, meaning "gigantic statue."
Vocabulary lists containing colossal
List 6
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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.
McDonald, who wrote the bestseller, “A Colossal Failure of Common Sense,” said tech representation in the S&P 500 is so high that retail investors are being force-fed the sector.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026
A couple of examples related to Colossal should suffice.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
The problem here is that Colossal did not “bring back dire wolves.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
I wonder if Colossal Biosciences has considered the possibility of their Frankenbird escaping the enclosure they envision.
From Slate • Aug. 8, 2025
“Negro Slavery is an evil of Colossal magnitude,” he wrote to William Tudor, and I am utterly averse to the admission of Slavery into the Missouri Territory.”
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
