colossus

noun

co·​los·​sus kə-ˈlä-səs 

plural colossi kə-ˈlä-ˌsī 

1

: a statue of gigantic size and proportions

2

: a person or thing of immense size or power

Did you know?

The original colossi (notice the plural form) were the larger-than-life statues made by the Greeks and Romans. The most famous of these was the Colossus of Rhodes, a statue of the sun god Helios built on the Greek island of Rhodes around 280 B.C. that was over 100 feet tall and took more than 12 years to build. The Statue of Liberty is a modern colossus, enormous and stately, at the entrance to New York Harbor. And someone who has played a colossal role in history, such as Winston Churchill, may be called a colossus as well.

Synonyms of colossus

• giant
• whale
• monster
• dinosaur
• mammoth
• titan

Examples of colossus in a Sentence

The building is a colossus of steel and glass.

Leonardo da Vinci remains a colossus in the history of art.

Recent Examples on the Web

If at any point María Luisa hesitated, doubtful about the tastefulness of this colossus, those doubts vanished the moment a representative of the city council delivered a witty and audacious explanation of the arch. —Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025

In a landmark moment for Morgan Wallen and Michigan Stadium, the country superstar has booked a two-night stand next summer at the Ann Arbor football colossus. —Brian McCollum, Freep.com, 30 Oct. 2025

After the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays battled through an 18-inning colossus to decide Game 3 of the World Series, the argument of whether or not a 'ghost runner' should be permitted in the postseason has, believe it or not, come up. —Gabe Smallson, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025

When the frame shifts up and over the reservoir’s edge, Copco 1 appears as a concrete colossus, standing sentry over the river naively burbling below. —Anne Reeve, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek kolossos

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for colossus

• proboscis

Kids Definition

colossus

noun

co·​los·​sus kə-ˈläs-əs 

plural colossi -ˈläs-ˌī 

1

: a huge statue

2

: a person or thing of great size or power

Etymology

from Latin colossus "huge statue, colossus"