colossal

[kuh-los-uhl]

adjective

1. extraordinarily great in size, extent, or degree; gigantic; huge.

2. of or resembling a colossus.

3. (initial capital letter),  noting or pertaining to a classical order whose columns or pilasters span two or more stories of a building.

colossal

/ kəˈlɒsəl /

adjective

1. of immense size; huge; gigantic

2. (in figure sculpture) approximately twice life-size Compare heroic

3. Also: giant. architect of or relating to the order of columns and pilasters that extend more than one storey in a façade

Other Word Forms

• colossality noun
• colossally adverb
• supercolossal adjective
• supercolossally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of colossal¹

First recorded in 1705–15; coloss(us) + -al ¹

Synonym Study

See gigantic.

Example Sentences

They were reinforcing pressure that had been well-established weeks earlier, on 3 August, when a colossal gathering marched across Sydney Harbour Bridge in one of the largest political demonstrations ever held in Australia.

From BBC

“The excitement of playing for a colossal Powerball jackpot is back!”

From Los Angeles Times

Whether the Dragon Bravo fire’s escape from confinement was due to a colossal mistake, incredibly bad luck, or some tragic combination of the two, will be the focus of multiple investigations.

From Los Angeles Times

Mach’s Shakespeare has the cocky strut of a rapper-producer with a long list of colossal hits.

From Los Angeles Times

Before Churchill told the British in his celebrated peroration that "we shall never surrender," he had not spared them from the truth that they had suffered a "colossal military disaster".

From BBC

Related Words

• enormous 
• gargantuan 
• gigantic 
• huge 
• immense 
• jumbo 
• mammoth 
• monstrous 
• vast 

When To Use

What does colossal mean?

Colossal describes something as being very large in size, degree, or amount, as in I went to a colossal shopping mall that stretched for a mile. If something is colossal, it is enormous, gigantic, or massive.Colossal can also be used to describe a large degree of something, that is, a large amount or a large extent, like a colossal amount of boxes or a colossal advantage in the playoffs.Less commonly, colossal describes something as resembling a colossus, which is a very large statue, as in The large man was so colossal that he blocked the entire doorway.Example: Tyrannosaurus rex was a colossal dinosaur that towered over many of the smaller animals.