colossal

adjective

co·los·sal kə-ˈlä-səl

Synonyms of colossal next

: of, relating to, or resembling a colossus

colossal statues

: of a bulk, extent, power, or effect approaching or suggesting the stupendous or incredible

colossal rock formations

colossal stellar explosions

: of an exceptional or astonishing degree

a colossal failure

a colossal bore

colossal ambition

colossally

kə-ˈlä-sə-lē

adverb

Choose the Right Synonym for colossal

enormous, immense, huge, vast, gigantic, colossal, mammoth mean exceedingly large.

enormous and immense both suggest an exceeding of all ordinary bounds in size or amount or degree, but enormous often adds an implication of abnormality or monstrousness.

an enormous expense

an immense shopping mall

huge commonly suggests an immensity of bulk or amount.

incurred a huge debt

vast usually suggests immensity of extent.

the vast Russian steppes

gigantic stresses the contrast with the size of others of the same kind.

a gigantic sports stadium

colossal applies especially to a human creation of stupendous or incredible dimensions.

a colossal statue of Lincoln

mammoth suggests both hugeness and ponderousness of bulk.

a mammoth boulder

Examples of colossal in a Sentence

a colossal statue of the town's founder

Recent Examples on the Web Then there’s the trailer used to haul logs and equipment, the tractor and the forklift used to move logs around, and the colossal commercial-grade truck used to tow the trailer and Kimbrell’s RV. —

Lawrence Specker | Lspecker@al.com, al, 18 Sep. 2023 He’d been hospitalized after what appeared to have been a colossal screw-up. —

Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2023 At the Walmart encampment and other shelters, Hambley witnessed a disturbing rise in overdoses following the colossal Camp Fire, which ultimately killed at least 85 people and devoured nearly 240 square miles. —

Popular Science, 14 Sep. 2023 The hope of finding survivors has all but faded as a colossal cleanup and recovery operation begins. —

Patrick Smith, NBC News, 14 Sep. 2023 Improve this map See more maps » Hurricane and tropical storm watches have been issued for many of New England’s coastal residents in anticipation of the colossal storm’s impact on Friday and through the weekend. —

Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 14 Sep. 2023 Another upset win in Week 3 would be colossal for a program that hasn’t entered the AP Top 25 in 25 years but finds itself on the upswing. —

Corey Smith, Dallas News, 14 Sep. 2023 That is a colossal problem for this agency and no amount of, of pointing fingers. —

Laura Johnston, cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023 Northside's Tickle Pickle was the victim in the second round, and the final-eight round was a colossal matchup against early favorite Zip's, from Mount Lookout. —

Rasputin Todd, The Enquirer, 7 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'colossal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.