Colossal
/kəˈlɒsəl/
adjectiveIntermediateCommonGeneral
Meaning
Questions
Definitions
1
Extremely large in size, extent, or degree.
/kəˈlɒsəl/
adjectiveneutralIntermediate
General
Extremely large or great.
The building was colossal in scale.
💡 Simply: Colossal means super, duper, incredibly HUGE! Like a giant dinosaur or a mountain that touches the clouds.
👶 For kids: Really, really big!
More Examples
2
She faced a colossal challenge.
3
His ego was colossal.
How It's Used
General
"The colossal statue dominated the landscape."
Science
"The researchers discovered a colossal star system."
From Latin *colossus, meaning "giant statue," ultimately from Greek *κόλοσσος (kolossos).
The word initially referred to giant statues, reflecting its etymological roots; its usage expanded to describe anything of immense size.
Memory tip
Imagine a COLOSSAL Colossus statue, so big it's overwhelming.
Practice
Base: colossus
colosalcolossel
Usage
10%Spoken
90%Written