consisting of or forming a large mass; bulky and heavy.
massive columns.
large and heavy-looking.
a massive forehead.
large in scale, amount, or degree.
a massive breakdown in communications;
massive reductions in spending.
solid or substantial; great or imposing.
massive erudition.
Mineralogy. having no outward crystal form, although sometimes crystalline in internal structure.
(of objects) large in mass; bulky, heavy, and usually solid
impressive or imposing in quality, degree, or scope
massive grief
relatively intensive or large; considerable
a massive dose
pathol affecting a large area of the body
a massive cancer
geology
(of igneous rocks) having no stratification, cleavage, etc; homogeneous
(of sedimentary rocks) arranged in thick poorly defined strata
mineralogy without obvious crystalline structure
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English ( see mass, -ive); replacing Middle English massif, from Middle French
Massive means enormous. Obviously, Mt. Everest is massive, but a massive budget cut isn't necessarily big in physical mass; it's something that is imposing in scale or power. A massive budget cut can do a lot of damage. Unless someone is referring to your intellect, massive is not a word you want used in a description of your attributes. Massive is a nice one to trot out when huge, gigantic, and enormous sound too over-the-top. Politicians use it often. Massive could also be the best way to describe the wave you surfed on your Hawaiian vacation or the size of the fish you nearly caught on that trip with your friends.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Appeared in the July 3, 2026, print edition as 'EU Court Upholds Massive Penalty On Google'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026
Massive demand has led to a global shortage of the memory chips made by SK hynix and Samsung Electronics, whose workers' union recently agreed a deal on bonuses after threatening to strike.
From Barron's • Jun. 24, 2026
Massive data centers are also flooding the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state’s main grid operator, with requests for power.
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026
Massive binary black holes located in the gas rich centers of newly formed galaxies may also lose angular momentum through interactions involving magnetic fields.
From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026
Massive irrigation projects, built with public money to improve private land, brought water from hundreds of miles away.
From "Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal" by Eric Schlosser
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.
