Synonym Chooser

How is the word colossal distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of colossal are enormous, gigantic, huge, immense, mammoth, and vast. While all these words mean "exceedingly large," colossal applies especially to a human creation of stupendous or incredible dimensions.

a colossal statue of Lincoln

How are the words enormous and immense related as synonyms of colossal?

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

When could gigantic be used to replace colossal?

In some situations, the words gigantic and colossal are roughly equivalent. However, gigantic stresses the contrast with the size of others of the same kind.

a gigantic sports stadium

When can huge be used instead of colossal?

Although the words huge and colossal have much in common, huge commonly suggests an immensity of bulk or amount.

incurred a huge debt

When would mammoth be a good substitute for colossal?

While in some cases nearly identical to colossal, mammoth suggests both hugeness and ponderousness of bulk.

a mammoth boulder

When is vast a more appropriate choice than colossal?

The words vast and colossal can be used in similar contexts, but vast usually suggests immensity of extent.

the vast Russian steppes

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of colossal As much as the entry-level cost of reaching the NFL’s colossal audience may sting a bit, there’s no getting around the fact that pro football is the most ruthlessly efficient way to reach the greatest number of consumers. Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 16 May 2025 The Nuggets are going into Oklahoma City for a colossal Game 7 against the Thunder on Sunday (1:30 p.m. MT). Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 16 May 2025 The album has colossal features from big West Coast names like Dr. Dre, Ty Dolla $ign and Ice Cube, and Xzibit has steadily promoted the project for months, appearing on seemingly every podcast known to man. Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 15 May 2025 This sudden flash of light accompanied by a colossal burst of subatomic particles is called a solar flare. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 1 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for colossal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colossal
Adjective
  • In the spring of 2022, Russian forces trapped a large group of Ukrainians inside a gigantic steel factory called Azovstal, in southern Ukraine.
    Simon Shuster, Time, 16 May 2025
  • What all of these cases have in common is a truly gigantic deer, and then, sadly, lots of discord within the hunting community.
    Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 15 May 2025
Adjective
  • Okonkwo made a huge impression in north Wales and his move was made permanent last summer on a free transfer.
    Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 28 May 2025
  • It's been a huge benefit for Dylan to take part in REACH — something he's done since the program got its start in 2019.
    Jonaki Mehta, NPR, 27 May 2025
Adjective
  • From the rooftop balcony, views over dune to the sea, of the enormous windmills, and across to the port reveal its unimaginable scale.
    Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
  • That day, she was declared cancer-free — an enormous win.
    Kristen Jordan Shamus, USA Today, 19 May 2025
Adjective
  • The last one on the right is now empty, cleared of clothes, cleats, camouflage Crocs and the giant National League Gold Glove trophy that sat on a middle shelf.
    Chandler Rome, New York Times, 25 May 2025
  • Richman sits behind two giant computer monitors atop an enormous desk that’s directly below an even bigger monitor displaying the rough cut.
    Kelly Stout, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2025
Adjective
  • There are the vast arcs of the avenues, the great green slashes of parks and cemeteries, the jagged field of skyscrapers, steepled and spiked like iron filings pulled up toward the great magnet of the sky.
    Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 18 May 2025
  • The High Plains also get plenty of love from Hill Country wineries—the Panhandle does, after all, produce the vast majority of the grapes grown in the state.
    Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 18 May 2025
Adjective
  • The massive undersea volcano reaches more than 3,600 feet above the seabed is located 300 miles offshore.
    Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 17 May 2025
  • Boston has constructed massive leads in each game, often to begin them.
    Fred Katz, New York Times, 16 May 2025
Adjective
  • The adaptation takes the game’s hugely engaging story and expands it for the screen, bringing tremendous performances, stunning effects, and impeccably shot action.
    Barry Levitt, Time, 26 May 2025
  • Thank you all for your tremendous support and dedication in our fight to secure a fair contract!
    Staff report, Hartford Courant, 25 May 2025
Adjective
  • And the one mammoth presence in the middle of all of it was Big Papi.
    Jayson Stark, New York Times, 22 May 2025
  • New estimates released by USGS on Wednesday indicate that just 61 million barrels of oil are technically recoverable in this region — equivalent to just 0.68 percent of the mammoth quantities already extracted.
    Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 9 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Colossal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colossal. Accessed 30 May. 2025.

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