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

And towering plumes of smoke and acrid odors drifted eastward with the onshore winds.

From Los Angeles Times

These players do not all start for Newcastle at any one given time, but this towering side still have all the ingredients to carry a threat at set-plays.

From BBC

Work soon began on erecting the towering armature, which is made of 1,800 linear feet of steel tubing and 500 planter boxes.

From Los Angeles Times

I met my hosts at the restaurant’s entrance, made to look like a pueblo plaza complete with a huge water fountain, towering church steeple and a pink exterior better suited for a spoonful of Pepto-Bismol.

From Los Angeles Times

Maybe it was the sight of Jack’s towering truck, maybe the certainty in his voice, but my mind spiraled: Am I making the most of the days I have left?

From Salon

Related Words

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