towering

[tou-er-ing]

adjective

1. very high or tall; lofty.

   a towering oak.

   Synonyms: elevated
   Antonyms: short

2. surpassing others; very great.

   a towering figure in American poetry.

3. rising to an extreme degree of violence or intensity.

   a towering rage.

4. beyond the proper or usual limits; inordinate; excessive.

   towering pride; towering ambitions.

towering

/ ˈtaʊərɪŋ /

adjective

1. very tall; lofty

2. outstanding, as in importance or stature

3. (prenominal) very intense

   a towering rage

Other Word Forms

• toweringly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of towering¹

From a late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; tower ¹, -ing ²

Synonym Study

See high.

Example Sentences

The flip side of his enormous intellect, say critics, is a towering arrogance that alienated many over the years.

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There’s no red river, no gray forest, and no big portal—just towering trees in all directions.

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He plucked one of his own letters from the towering heap.

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After many weeks of travel I have returned to a towering pile of mail, much of it from you!

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In a town where many buildings were two stories at most, the Greenbrier’s six stories seemed towering.

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Related Words

• colossal 
• gigantic 
• imposing 
• lofty 
• magnificent 
• massive 
• mighty 
• monumental 
• prodigious 
• soaring 
• stately 
• tall