COLOSSAL Synonyms: 123 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

colossal

adjective

kə-ˈlä-səl

Definition of colossal

as in gigantic

unusually large a colossal statue of the town's founder

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 This 50-inch Hisense E7 smart TV is a sleek, medium-sized addition to your living room—just large enough to see all the fine details without bleeding into colossal home-theater territory. — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 15 July 2026 Victorian mansions that survived great storms and eras of change take up whole blocks, colossal buildings with stained glass windows and towering turrets. — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 15 July 2026 In fact, Gabrielle and Katerina attribute the restaurant’s early colossal success to a Los Angeles Times review. — Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026 With more than 400 rooms (around 80 of which are accessible to visitors), Château de Chambord is colossal. — Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 12 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for colossal

Recent Examples of Synonyms for colossal

Adjective

The two lakes, which are essentially one gigantic reservoir separated by the Grand Canyon, hold just under 60% of the total water currently stored in the basin.

— Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
Also seen is Edric’s sinister pod sliding silently into one of the gigantic Guild Heighliner starships.

— Jeff Spry, Space.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of gigantic

Adjective

The designation is a first for Georgia and a huge win for dedicated conservationists, scientists, government officials, nonprofits and swamp neighbors who have spent more than four decades advocating for our wetland wonder.

— AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 27 July 2026
Jericho hit Ciampa with the hockey stick and kissed the Youppi the plush toy to a huge pop.

— Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

Definition of huge

Adjective

This period, known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum and first noted in the 1990s, may have been the result of an enormous volcanic eruption, or maybe a sudden release of methane.

— Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
That’s an enormous sales figure for any current release, let alone a project that arrived more than a decade ago.

— Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026

Definition of enormous

Adjective

Balloons float above an exploding castle, a giant peeks from behind the bushes and wizards throw flames in the foreground.

— Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 July 2026
An interesting implication of the spillover effect is that the end customers of consumer electronics devices are now effectively competing against giant data centers.

— Srikanth Jagabathula, Fortune, 24 July 2026

Definition of giant

Adjective

DeepSeek challenged the conventional wisdom that developing an advanced AI model requires massive financial investment and vast computing power, and offered competitive pricing.

— John Liu, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
Tech firms are now addressing this blind spot, deploying AI to analyze vast backlogs of inspection photos and notes, identifying defects like corrosion.

— Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

Definition of vast

Adjective

Multiple people were injured Thursday after a Kenmore Air floatplane made an emergency landing off the Washington coast before catching fire, prompting a massive rescue operation, authorities said.

— Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 24 July 2026
DeepSeek challenged the conventional wisdom that developing an advanced AI model requires massive financial investment and vast computing power, and offered competitive pricing.

— John Liu, CNN Money, 24 July 2026

Definition of massive

Adjective

To get that power, Silicon Valley is building 1,500 data centers in the United States and counting, and purchasing a mammoth quantity of semiconductor chips.

— Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026
In the 1990s and early 2000s, buzz for the area’s towering sandstone cliffs and mammoth boulders—which are perfect for pitching routes and scrambling up—sparked pilgrimages by global athletes.

— Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 21 July 2026

Definition of mammoth

Browse Nearby Words

colorways

colossal

colossally

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Colossal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colossal. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of colossal

adjective

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on colossal

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

parochial

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples

Popular in Wordplay

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes