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 For the rest of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth century, magnetic storms, triggered by colossal solar explosions, repeatedly disrupted those networks. Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025 Just down the street from the colossal blue Scientology center (one of LA’s top locations for taking an ironic selfie) is Found Oyster, a delightful and perennially (pleasantly) crowded seafood restaurant inspired by clam shacks on the East Coast. Jocelyn Silver, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025 Created by the visionary behind the Oscar-winning Pinocchio (2022), this Emmy-winning anthology horror series presents eight visually thrilling, nightmarish tales, ranging from colossal rats to alien parasites. Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025 Dressed simply in a black bomber and flashing a colossal gold chain, Floyy commanded the room during his 20-minute set. Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for colossal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colossal
Adjective
  • As the season shifts toward winter, the polar jet stream begins to shift south and can stir up storms that produce howling winds and gigantic waves in November on the Great Lakes.
    Doyle Rice, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
  • The drive-thru incident took place a month after authorities in Miami were called to remove a gigantic snake from a nearby work site.
    Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • It’s been a huge hit with my guests, and right now, Prime members can add it to their carts for just $40.
    Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025
  • Her hair is often a massive tangle of black curls, her nails are expertly polished, her huge brown eyes peer out from spidery lashes, and her skin is cocoa-butter smooth.
    Stephanie Mansfield, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Danielewski is a writer of enormous power and vision.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Some of this, of course, is related to fires in California and hurricanes in the southeast that destroyed an enormous amount of utility infrastructure.
    Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • That move, however, allowed the giant exhibitor to fully redeem all of its 2026 debt maturities.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Generative, predictive, and other forms of AI collectively are projected to generate as much as $340 billion annually in value creation for the global banking sector, consulting giant McKinsey has estimated.
    John Kell, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The modern digital world produces vast amounts of data (as much as 402 million TB a day), yet its value remains largely undefined.
    Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Entanglement—the idea that two particles are linked even at a vast distance—helped illustrate the characters’ desperate yearning to recreate the past.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • China has undertaken a massive expansion of sites linked to missile production since 2020, bolstering its ability to potentially deter the US military and assert its dominance in the region, a new CNN analysis of satellite images, maps and government notices reveals.
    Tamara Qiblawi, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
  • For Native people, the war marked a dangerous fork in the road, stirring famine, spurring a massive refugee crisis, and permanently shifting the balance of power in the heart of the continent.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The communiqué earned a tremendous amount of positive press.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
  • But people were tremendous and recording themselves watching the finale episode and crying or being shocked, in a pit of despair or whatever.
    Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The partnership between Wicked and the Olympics marks a full-circle moment, as both Erivo and Grande attended the Summer Games in 2024 as part of their mammoth press cycle for the first film.
    Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Four batters later, Ohtani exited the mound after allowing Bichette’s mammoth three-run homer.
    Chandler Rome, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Colossal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colossal. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.

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