monumental

[ mon-yuh-men-tl ]

adjective

1. resembling a monument; massive or imposing.

   Synonyms: colossal, immense

2. exceptionally great, as in quantity, quality, extent, or degree:

   a monumental work.

3. of historical or enduring significance:

   a monumental victory.

4. Fine Arts. having the quality of being larger than life; of heroic scale.
5. of or relating to a monument or monuments.
6. serving as a monument.

monumental

/ ˌmɒnjʊˈmɛntəl /

adjective

1. like a monument, esp in large size, endurance, or importance

   a monumental work of art

2. of, relating to, or being a monument
3. informal.
   (intensifier)

   monumental stupidity

Derived Forms

• ˌmonuˈmentally, adverb
• ˌmonumenˈtality, noun

Other Words From

• monu·mental·ism noun
• monu·men·tali·ty noun
• monu·mental·ly adverb
• premon·u·mental adjective
• unmon·u·mental adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of monumental¹

From the Late Latin word monumentālis, dating back to 1595–1605. See monument, -al ¹

Example Sentences

Barricades and fences are up, creating a restricted zone to keep out vehicular and pedestrian traffic from a wide strip of downtown and monumental Washington.

From Washington Post

Many have not taken this one seriously but we have and are very proud of the efforts that went to moving such a monumental step forward.

From TechCrunch

It was a monumental step in his recovery from the compound right leg fracture in November 2018 that threatened his life, leg and football career.

From Washington Post

A monumental question is whether we’re on the brink of something much worse.

From Vox

A complete human connectome will be a monumental technical achievement.

From Nautilus

And for Larry Flynt, this might be a monumental opportunity to stick it to the dictator the best way he knows how.

From The Daily Beast

On August 27, 1776, the Battle of Brooklyn resulted in some monumental maneuvers by both the Patriots and the Red Coats.

From The Daily Beast

His work was more monumental, more violent, and promoted the Aryan struggle.

From The Daily Beast

You may be wondering what work of monumental consequence is contained within these gilded pages.

From The Daily Beast

It was monumental, a great victory not only for Porter and the Innocence Project, but for the principle of justice.

From The Daily Beast

Every monumental inscription should be in Latin; for that being a dead language, it will always live.

From Project Gutenberg

And if the monumental record of their virtues be a just one, why did they heirloom on posterity this bitter heritage of swearing?

From Project Gutenberg

Do not be bluffed off by the somewhat stern and monumental first impression that he may make upon you.

From Project Gutenberg

This is very like an epitaph, bar the handwriting, which is anything but monumental, and I dare say I had better stop.

From Project Gutenberg

The face of the Well-dressed Man likewise expressed the serene flush that heroes must show at such monumental moments.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• awesome
• enduring
• enormous
• fantastic
• gigantic
• grand
• great
• historic
• huge
• immense
• mammoth
• massive
• memorable
• significant
• towering
• tremendous
• unforgettable
• vast