colossal

[kuh-los-uhl]

adjective

1. extraordinarily great in size, extent, or degree; gigantic; huge.

2. of or resembling a colossus.

3. (initial capital letter),  noting or pertaining to a classical order whose columns or pilasters span two or more stories of a building.

colossal

/ kəˈlɒsəl /

adjective

1. of immense size; huge; gigantic

2. (in figure sculpture) approximately twice life-size Compare heroic

3. Also: giant. architect of or relating to the order of columns and pilasters that extend more than one storey in a façade

Other Word Forms

• colossality noun
• colossally adverb
• supercolossal adjective
• supercolossally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of colossal¹

First recorded in 1705–15; coloss(us) + -al ¹

Synonym Study

See gigantic.

Example Sentences

At its most insightful, his book reveals a colossal dissonance between a person and a persona.

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The spicy pitch played its part, as did the cacophonous atmosphere created by 51,531 inside the colossal Perth Stadium.

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The plant was taken offline when Japan pulled the plug on nuclear power after a colossal earthquake and tsunami sent three reactors at the Fukushima atomic plant into meltdown in 2011.

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He has been such a colossal player for them but Cristhian Mosquera can come into their defence, and I don't see it affecting them too much.

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But the USA defender showcased exactly why Chelsea were willing to pay the big bucks with a colossal display against Europe's elite side.

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Related Words

• enormous 
• gargantuan 
• gigantic 
• huge 
• immense 
• jumbo 
• mammoth 
• monstrous 
• vast 

When To Use

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.