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.
SoftBank’s reach spans a $64 billion investment in OpenAI, plans for a massive fleet of data centers, robotics and its chip company Arm that has surged in valuation after an AI pivot.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
The company speaks openly about its ambitions to put humans on Mars, and has even tied a massive bonus for Musk to colonizing the red planet with one million inhabitants.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
The obvious parallel is with another massive underdog, Gray Davis, who also came from far behind to win the last time a gubernatorial primary held this level of uncertainty and suspense.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
The 28-year-old says she is already a "massive fan" of actress Deborah Ann Woll who voiced and provided the motion capture for the character in God of War Ragnarök.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
Even though he looks stick thin, Tano’s weight is massive.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
