massive

adjective

mas·​sive ˈma-siv 

1

: forming or consisting of a large mass:

a

: bulky

massive furniture

b

: weighty, heavy

massive walls

a massive volume

c

: impressively large or ponderous

stars more massive than the sun

d

: having no regular form but not necessarily lacking crystalline structure

massive sandstone

2

a

: large, solid, or heavy in structure

massive jaw

b

: large in scope or degree

the feeling of frustration, of being ineffectual, is massive

—David Halberstam

c(1)

: large in comparison to what is typical

a massive dose of penicillin

(2)

: being extensive and severe

massive hemorrhage

(3)

: imposing in excellence or grandeur

massive simplicity

the most massive American dramatist of his time

—Newsweek

3

: having mass (see mass entry 2 sense 1c)

a massive boson

massively adverb

massiveness noun

Synonyms

• heavy
• hefty
• ponderous
• weighty

Examples of massive in a Sentence

The fort had massive walls.

stars more massive than the sun

A massive effort will be required to clean up the debris.

You can find a massive amount of information on the Internet.

The stunt received massive publicity.

a massive collection of baseball cards

Recent Examples on the Web

In addition, both days had massive collections of clouds swimming above, sometimes seeming as dense as stone. —Martin Weil, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024

Third, there is a massive political divide in the country between young men and young women. —Richard V. Reeves, TIME, 6 Apr. 2024

In it, Fox talks about the shock of his diagnosis, which led to heavy drinking and other coping mechanisms, the massive impact on his family and his feelings about the future. —Lianne Kolirin, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024

Still, massive private spending will be needed, and policy makers are scrambling to design new mechanisms to attract funds. —Ewa Krukowska, Fortune Europe, 5 Apr. 2024

In recent years public education advocates have loudly called for a massive increase in special education funding. —Katie Bernard, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2024

Unlike most companies making massive product recalls, P&G is making the customer go through some effort to find out if their detergent is included in the recall. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024

An open-air floor plan connects the main living room to a massive chef’s kitchen. —Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024

Law enforcement prepares for massive influx of spectacle watchers. —Fox News, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English massiffe, from Anglo-French mascif, alteration of massiz, from Vulgar Latin *massicius, from Latin massa mass

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

massive

adjective

mas·​sive ˈmas-iv 

1

: weighty sense 1, heavy

massive walls

2

a

: large, solid, or heavy in structure

a massive jaw

b

: large in extent or degree

a massive effort

3

: having mass

massively adverb

massiveness noun

Medical Definition

massive

adjective

mas·​sive ˈmas-iv 

1

: large in comparison to what is typical

—used especially of medical dosage or of an infectious agent

a massive dose of penicillin

2

: being extensive and severe

—used of a pathologic condition

a massive hemorrhage

a massive collapse of a lung