colossal

/kəˈlɒsl/ (bre, ipa) · /kəˈlɑːsl/ (ame, ipa) · /kə-ˈlä-səl/ (ame, mw)

colossal — 形容詞

  • colossalpositive
  • more colossalcomparative
  • most colossalsuperlative

1. so big in size, amount, or degree that it surprises people, often making somethi

1.形容詞C1
釋義

巨大的

規模大到令人驚訝的程度

so big in size, amount, or degree that it surprises people, often making something else nearby seem small by comparison.

例句

The colossal statue of Buddha in Nara dwarfed the visitors standing at its feet.

奈良那座巨大的佛像，讓站在腳邊的遊客顯得相當渺小。

colossal + concrete noun for physical size

Repairing the bridge after the typhoon will cost the city a colossal amount of money.

颱風過後修復橋樑，將會花掉市政府一筆龐大的經費。

colossal amount/sum of money — collocation for quantity

同義詞
  • 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.

反義詞
  • 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.

常見錯誤

❌I am colossal hungry.
✅I am extremely hungry.
💡'colossal' modifies nouns, not adjectives; it is not an intensifier like 'very'.
❌a slightly colossal tower
✅a fairly tall tower
💡'colossal' is an extreme term, so weak modifiers like 'slightly' or 'somewhat' clash with its meaning.