colossus

American  

[kuh-los-uhs] / kəˈlɒs əs /

noun

colossi, plural colossuses plural

1. (initial capital letter) the legendary bronze statue of Helios at Rhodes.

2. any statue of gigantic size.

3. anything colossal, gigantic, or very powerful.

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colossus British  

/ kəˈlɒsəs /

noun

1. something very large, esp a statue

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• colossi
  plural
• colossuses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of colossus

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin < Greek kolossós statue, image, presumably < a pre-Hellenic Mediterranean language

Explanation

The original colossus was an enormous statue that was supposed to have guarded the ancient Greek island and city of Rhodes. Now, though, we use the noun colossus for someone of huge importance, reputation, or influence. In the world of American music, Louis Armstrong is a colossus. He invented or perfected many of the elements of what we now call jazz — there's probably no figure of greater importance in that field. Even the second most important athlete in the world seems small in comparison to the colossus that is Muhammad Ali. He is, quite simply, the greatest. In the ancient world, Rome was an imperial colossus. Few nations could rival its strength, size, or colossal growth.

Example Sentences

Don’s suit is indented with billowing wrinkles, perhaps to suggest the idea of movement, as if the colossus is soaring through the air.

From Slate • Jun. 2, 2026

When the chips were down he was a colossus for Celtic, driven, focused, as hungry as anybody to get his team over the line and more influential than most in ensuring it happened.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

Honda grew into a worldwide automotive colossus from humble roots.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Weak domestic demand and huge government production incentives have created an industrial colossus that exports an estimated $2 trillion more manufactured goods than it imports.

From Barron's • May 14, 2026

Traditional histories like to equate Beethoven, the colossus of music in the early 1800s, with his contemporary Napoleon Bonaparte, revolutionary-turned-Emperor and serial military adventurer.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall