adjective Uncommon

colossal

kuh-LO-suhl

Colossal (adjective) means Extremely large in size or scale. Example: “The company suffered a colossal loss after the product recall.”

adjective

Extremely large in size or scale.

"The company suffered a colossal loss after the product recall."

"They built a colossal statue at the entrance to the stadium."

How to use colossal

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishHuge — used for anything impressively, sometimes overwhelmingly, large.

Common pairings

colossal failure colossal size colossal waste

more colossal comparative, most colossal superlative

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Can you complete this real example?

The company suffered a _____ loss after the product recall.

From French colossal, from Latin colossus, from Greek kolossos, "giant statue."

Origin: Latin

What does “colossal” mean?

The word “colossal” means extremely large in size or scale. In plain terms, huge — used for anything impressively, sometimes overwhelmingly, large.

How do you pronounce “colossal”?

“Colossal” is pronounced kuh-LO-suhl (/kəˈlɑsəl/ in IPA).

How do you use “colossal” in a sentence?

Here is “colossal” used in a sentence: “The company suffered a colossal loss after the product recall.”

What part of speech is “colossal”?

“Colossal” is an adjective.

Where does the word “colossal” come from?

The word “colossal” comes from Latin. From French colossal, from Latin colossus, from Greek kolossos, "giant statue.".

Is “colossal” a common word?

“Colossal” is an uncommon word in modern English.