colossal

adjective

co·​los·​sal kə-ˈlä-səl 

1

: of, relating to, or resembling a colossus

colossal statues

2

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

colossal rock formations

colossal stellar explosions

3

: of an exceptional or astonishing degree

a colossal failure

a colossal bore

colossal ambition

colossally

kə-ˈlä-sə-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• astronomical
• astronomic
• Brobdingnagian
• bumper
• cosmic
• cosmical
• cyclopean
• elephantine
• enormous
• galactic
• gargantuan
• giant
• gigantesque
• gigantic
• grand
• herculean
• heroic
• heroical
• Himalayan
• huge
• humongous
• humungous
• immense
• jumbo
• king-size
• king-sized
• leviathan
• mammoth
• massive
• mega
• mighty
• monster
• monstrous
• monumental
• mountainous
• oceanic
• pharaonic
• planetary
• prodigious
• super
• super-duper
• supersize
• supersized
• titanic
• tremendous
• vast
• vasty
• walloping
• whacking
• whopping

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

In the meantime, the Jets will pivot to playing the 8-6 Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, who are en route to the playoffs barring a colossal collapse. —Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024

One such colossal market is cross-border payments, towering at $190T with $38T in B2B flows annually and expected to grow by 53% until the end of the decade as a consequence of global supply chains, corporate and SME internationalization and tech advancements. —Maren Thomas Bannon, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024

What’s lost is the way a colossal spirit such as Dylan confronts everyday challenges with a heightened sense of style and daring. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2024

The Dwayne Johnson–Chris Evans pairing, which chronicles the bid to rescue Old Saint Nick after he is kidnapped from the North Pole on Christmas Eve, has mustered just $175 million worldwide to date despite a colossal $250 million budget. —Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see colossus

First Known Use

1664, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

colossal

adjective

co·​los·​sal kə-ˈläs-əl 

1

: of, relating to, or resembling a colossus

especially : of very great size

a colossal office building

2

: extraordinary, exceptional

colossal growth

a colossal failure

colossally

-ə-lē 

adverb