colossal
/kəˈlɒsl/ (bre, ipa) · /kəˈlɑːsl/ (ame, ipa) · /kə-ˈlä-səl/ (ame, mw)
colossal — adjective
- colossalpositive
- more colossalcomparative
- most colossalsuperlative
1. so big in size, amount, or degree that it surprises people, often making somethi
so big in size, amount, or degree that it surprises people, often making something else nearby seem small by comparison.
The colossal statue of Buddha in Nara dwarfed the visitors standing at its feet.
colossal + concrete noun for physical size
Repairing the bridge after the typhoon will cost the city a colossal amount of money.
colossal amount/sum of money — collocation for quantity
Astrid made the colossal mistake of forwarding the email to her boss by accident.
Building the new high-speed railway will take a colossal effort from thousands of engineers.
Tuan stared at the colossal waves crashing against the cliffs during the storm.
- enormous
common, neutral; less emotive than 'colossal'.
- gigantic
vivid and informal; emphasises physical bulk more than abstract scale.
- immense
literary or formal; works well with abstract nouns like 'pressure' or 'wealth'.
- stupendous
stresses the awe-inspiring impression; often a positive reaction.
- tiny
everyday opposite for physical size.
- minuscule
formal; emphasises being almost too small to notice.
- negligible
used with abstract nouns like 'cost' or 'effect'.
文法句型
colossal + noun
absolutely/truly colossal
用法筆記
Stronger than 'huge' or 'enormous' and carries a note of awe or shock. Frequently used figuratively with abstract nouns (mistake, failure, effort, amount) where the speaker wants to stress that the scale is extreme, not merely large.