Meaning
Colossal means extremely large or great in size, amount, or degree. It describes something that is so big or impressive that it stands out remarkably.
Grammar and Usage
- Part of speech: Adjective
- Used before nouns to emphasize enormous size or importance.
- Often used in both literal and figurative senses.
Typical patterns:
- a colossal statue/building/failure/success
- colossal amount of money
- colossal waste of time
Common Phrases
- colossal mistake – a very big or serious mistake
- colossal waste – an extremely inefficient use of something
- colossal effort – a huge or extraordinary amount of effort
- colossal failure – a massive or dramatic failure
Collocations
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Noun + colossal | statue, tower, empire, building, mountain |
| Colossal + noun | amount, success, loss, failure, structure, effort |
| Adverb + colossal | absolutely colossal, truly colossal |
Examples
- The Colosseum in Rome is a colossal structure built nearly two thousand years ago.
- It was a colossal mistake to invest all the money in one risky project.
- The team made a colossal effort to complete the project before the deadline.
- The earthquake caused colossal damage to the city.
- She inherited a colossal fortune from her grandfather.
- Building the new bridge required a colossal amount of steel.
- The company’s colossal success surprised everyone.
- His ego is colossal, but his talent justifies it.
- The artist created a colossal sculpture for the public square.
- They made a colossal investment in renewable energy.
Synonyms or Related
- enormous
- gigantic
- massive
- immense
- monumental
- vast
- tremendous
Antonym
- tiny
- small
- minute
- insignificant