towering
Americanadjective
-
very high or tall; lofty.
a towering oak.
- Synonyms:
- elevated
- Antonyms:
- short
-
surpassing others; very great.
a towering figure in American poetry.
-
rising to an extreme degree of violence or intensity.
a towering rage.
-
beyond the proper or usual limits; inordinate; excessive.
towering pride; towering ambitions.
adjective
-
very tall; lofty
-
outstanding, as in importance or stature
-
(prenominal) very intense
a towering rage
Related Words
See high.
Other Word Forms
- toweringly adverb
Etymology
Origin of towering
From a late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; tower 1, -ing 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
South Carolina in the Final Four was always going to be a titanic clash of the most towering figures in women’s college basketball.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
Cosby was a towering figure in late 20th century American popular culture, including for his starring role in "The Cosby Show," which ran from 1984 to 1992.
From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026
Chavez is a towering national figure credited with organizing and raising the lives of migrant farm-workers in California and beyond and giving voice to the struggles of Mexican Americans.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026
The massive 470,000-square-foot facility was nestled in a quiet neighborhood, surrounded by homes and towering trees.
From Slate • Mar. 12, 2026
I hustled back into the kitchen and braked a few inches before slamming into my dad towering in the middle of the room.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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.
