Dictionary

colossal en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /kəˈlɔsəl/ (Australia)
• /kəˈlɑsəl/ (General-American, dialectal) of Canada
• /kəˈlɒsəl/ (New-Zealand)
• /kəˈlɒsəl/ (Canada, dialectal) of the US
• /kəˈlɒsəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• audio Queensland
• (California) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Ancient Greek κολοσσός (kolossós)bor. Latin colossusslbor. French colosse Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisbor. Old French -al Middle French -al French -al French colossalder. English colossal From French colossal, formed from Latin colossus, from Ancient Greek κολοσσός (kolossós, “giant statue”).

Meanings

1. Extremely large or on a great scale.
   • Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers.[…]Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster. Clever financial ploys are what have made billionaires of the industry’s veterans. “Operational improvement” in a portfolio company has often meant little more than promising colossal bonuses to sitting chief executives if they meet ambitious growth targets. That model is still prevalent today. 2013 June 22, “Engineers of a different kind”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 70:
   • What is wrong with you, you colossal fucking creep⁉ You found the only possible wrong answer to that question! “What’s your favorite color? Hitler.” 2017 April 23, “Ivanka & Jared”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 4, episode 10, John Oliver (actor), via HBO:
   • A single puppy can make a colossal mess.
2. Amazingly spectacular; extraordinary; epic.
   • "It's just the very biggest thing that I ever heard of!" said I, though it was my journalistic rather than my scientific enthusiasm that was roused. "It is colossal. You are a Columbus of science who has discovered a lost world." 1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:

Forms

Deriveds

mega-colossal · colossally · ultracolossal · colossal squid · supercolossal · colossalness · hypercolossal

Relateds

colossus · colosseum

Synonyms

gigantic (extremely large) · giant (extremely large) · vast (extremely large) · enormous (extremely large) · immense (extremely large) · prodigious (extremely large)

Translations (73)

bg огро́мен (extremely large) · grc κολοσσικός (extremely large) · sh о̏гро̄ман (extremely large) · mk џиновски (extremely large) · de gewaltig (extremely large) · pt colossal (extremely large) · grc κολοσσιαῖος (extremely large) · tyz cải luông (extremely large) · be веліза́рны (extremely large) · ar هَائِل (extremely large) · it colossale (extremely large) · ru гига́нтский (extremely large) · nb kolossal (extremely large) · sk ohromný (extremely large) · pl ogromny (extremely large) · sh kȍlosālan (extremely large) · fi valtava (extremely large) · uk колоса́льний (extremely large) · ar جَبَّار (extremely large) · ru колосса́льный (extremely large) · sk kolosálny (extremely large) · kk зор (extremely large) · ar ضَخْم (extremely large) · sk obrovský (extremely large) · eo supermezura (extremely large) · pl olbrzymi (extremely large) · cmn 巨大的 (extremely large) · sv kolossal (extremely large) · de immens (extremely large) · nn kolossal (extremely large) · de kolossal (extremely large) · de riesengroß (extremely large) · sl ogromen (extremely large) · cs ohromný (extremely large) · ru огро́мный (extremely large) · ro colosal (extremely large) · fa ژنده (extremely large) · fi jättiläismäinen (extremely large) · ga ábhalmhór (extremely large) · sh ко̏лоса̄лан (extremely large) · el κολοσσιαίος (extremely large) · da kolossal (extremely large) · mk колоса́лен (extremely large) · ko 거대하다 (extremely large) · ca colossal (extremely large) · cs kolosální (extremely large) · vi đồ sộ (extremely large) · sl kolosalen (extremely large) · cs obrovský (extremely large) · kmr dêwasa (extremely large) · eo kolosa (extremely large) · ja 巨大な (extremely large) · be вялі́зны (extremely large) · la colossēus (extremely large) · tr devasa (extremely large) · es colosal (extremely large) · es descomunal (extremely large) · de ungeheuer (extremely large) · kmr debdebe (extremely large) · ru грома́дный (extremely large) · fr colossal (extremely large) · uk величе́зний (extremely large) · ckb مەزن (extremely large) · pl kolosalny (extremely large) · bg колоса́лен (extremely large) · ru грандио́зный (extremely large) · nl kolossaal (extremely large) · mk огромен (extremely large) · be аграма́дны (extremely large) · be велічэ́зны (extremely large) · de riesig (extremely large) · be каласа́льны (extremely large) · sh ȍgrōman (extremely large)