colossal

adjective

kə-ˈlä-səl How to pronounce colossal (audio)
Definition of colossalnext
as in gigantic
unusually large a colossal statue of the town's founder

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 As the name suggests, the colossal 15-ton segment of the ship’s starboard hull is the largest artifact ever raised from the Titanic, stretching more than 26 feet across. —Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 6 July 2025 But the year after settling into the colossal abode, Lopez and Affleck separated. —India Roby, Architectural Digest, 3 July 2025 But a tantalizing discovery reported this past April links the r-process to a colossal flare from a highly magnetic star. —Jenna Ahart, Quanta Magazine, 2 July 2025 The three most colossal creatures across land, sea and air within that tropical biosphere hold, in their DNA, the key to a drug that will bring miraculous life-saving benefits to humankind. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 1 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for colossal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colossal
  1. gigantic
  2. huge
  3. enormous
  4. giant
  5. vast
  6. massive
  7. tremendous
  8. mammoth
Adjective
  • George Shea, who still hosts the competition, helped turn the homespun event into a gigantic spectacle.
    — Elise Hammond, CNN Money, 4 July 2025
  • Israel doesn’t have any heavy bombers, stealthy or otherwise, capable of carrying such gigantic bombs.
    — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025
Definition of gigantic
Adjective
  • Compared to a lot of other activities, games have this huge social mould.
    — Joshua Lamb, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
  • Having an offensive mind as creative as Johnson will be a huge upgrade for Williams and the Bears.
    — Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 July 2025
Definition of huge
Adjective
  • And for what? To cover only a fraction of the enormous cost of the bill, which will add more than $3 trillion to the federal debt by 2034.
    — Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025
  • The amount of water that fell rapidly on Friday is estimated around 100 billion gallons, an enormous volume that almost doubles the daily flow over Niagara Falls, according to KSAT.
    — Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 July 2025
Definition of enormous
Adjective
  • More of the giant spiders could come up to the Northeast this year, Davis said.
    — Rick Sobey, Hartford Courant, 12 July 2025
  • The idea has morphed from a single, giant facility to 13 smaller ones around the state, but now, Utah’s embrace of international trade could backfire on the state’s economy.
    — Scott Cohn, CNBC, 12 July 2025
Definition of giant
Adjective
  • The vast majority of people who received a one-time financial gift to stave off homelessness were still housed several months after the aid ended.
    — Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 July 2025
  • And the company behind the bet was Google, which had acquired legacy phone maker Motorola Mobility and was leveraging its modern tech prowess and vast resources to make the Moto X smartphone a success.
    — Verne Kopytoff, Fortune, 5 July 2025
Definition of vast
Adjective
  • After China fired ballistic missiles at American bases in Japan, the fighting exploded, with the U.S. launching massive strikes against the mainland and Japanese jets attacking Chinese ships.
    — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
  • Until now, the most massive back hole merger was GW190521, detected in 2020.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 14 July 2025
Definition of massive
Adjective
  • Aaron Judge got the walk-off RBI with a sacrifice fly that scored Anthony Volpe on a tremendous slide in a bang-bang play at the plate, but the speedster was able to avoid any tag, despite the throw beating him.
    — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 11 July 2025
  • The left-handed hitter has a smooth clean swing with tremendous bat-to-ball skills that includes great vision.
    — Jim Bowden, New York Times, 11 July 2025
Definition of tremendous
Adjective
  • Getting to the final and then winning the Club World Cup would be a major statement for either side without mentioning its mammoth prize money, and Madrid and PSG now stand in each other’s way of achieving that.
    — Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
  • The mammoth project is expected to be built in phases with the first one, Fernández said, expected by 2029.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 8 July 2025
Definition of mammoth

Browse Nearby Words

colorways
colossal
colossally
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Cite this Entry

“Colossal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colossal. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.

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Nglish: Translation of colossal for Spanish Speakers

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