Definition of colossalnext

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 The billionaire SpaceX and Tesla CEO has set plans in motion to build a colossal factory serving the two companies in Grimes County, Texas, Fortune reports. India Roby, Architectural Digest, 11 Aug. 2026 Unfortunately, the company behind Coldcard made a colossal screw-up by failing to provide a randomized process for creating seed phrases. Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026 To say it should be taken seriously as a business enterprise is a colossal understatement. Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026 Behind the colossal range is a stunning Moroccan-style backsplash made with deep green and white tiles. Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for colossal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colossal
Adjective
  • Kneeling beside the fallen buck, Charles, an avid trophy bowhunter, ran his hands over the gigantic rack.
    Jeff Murray, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Lakes Mead and Powell, which are essentially one gigantic reservoir separated by the Grand Canyon, hold just under 60% of the total watercurrently stored in the Colorado River basin.
    Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Granted, City have made a club-record signing in Elliot Anderson, and he is expected to make a huge difference, but everything else is pending.
    Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • The baryon-junction model provides another possibility At RHIC energies, a proton contains a huge number of gluons.
    Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 16 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Tucker is being counted on as a middle-of-the-order presence, but the enormous contract has made every prolonged downturn more difficult to ignore.
    Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The researchers argue that the enormous cliff system triggered prolonged erosion that stripped away vast amounts of rock and helped expose some of North America’s oldest geological formations.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Hardware rich… Engineers have reams of data from all 13 test flights of Starship and its giant booster rocket, known as the Super Heavy.
    Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Returning and reflying both Starship stages is a key component in SpaceX's design for the giant rocket, which will be the largest, most powerful launch vehicle in history once the company works out all its kinks.
    Josh Dinner, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • The Mexican navy searched a vast area of the Pacific Ocean by sea and air, eventually finding the two men floating in a large fishing cooler about 150 miles off the coast of Chiapas, a southern state in Mexico that borders Guatemala.
    Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Masanori Kumagai/Kyodo News via AP Hiraguchi cited surveys showing the vast majority of Japanese supporting the death penalty as an unavoidable option.
    CBS News, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • According to a new study published in Geology, the massive escarpment formed around 800 million to 750 million years ago as the ancient supercontinent Rodinia began to break apart.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Coach Keidane McAlpine hopes the Bulldogs, who dominated from start to finish on a massive stage, left a lasting impression.
    Sarah Spencer, AJC.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Yet that is the attitude that has led to tremendous underperformance by managers who think like that.
    Jim Cramer, CNBC, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Transit has this tremendous scale and a startling capacity to shift between the intimate and the grand, as well as an intricate architecture.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Warships, mammoth bones and parts of ancient constructions all have emerged from the slumping waters of the Danube, the Rhine and other rivers in the scorching drought that has also disrupted trade, power and water supplies.
    ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The mammoth defensive tackle was a Packers seventh-round pick in 2022 and spent his first three years in Green Bay before signing with the Chicago Bears off the Packers’ practice squad in December 2024.
    Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Colossal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colossal. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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