colossalco‧los‧sal /kəˈlɒsəl $ kəˈlɑː-/ adjective 
Examples
a colossal statue of the King The whole holiday was a colossal waste of money.► see thesaurus at big—colossally adverb
ExamplesEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- A crane arrived, its colossal arm reaching out of the sky toward the building.
- Children are failing exams and dropping out of school in colossal numbers.
- It was a colossal disappointment.
- Ramses ordered colossal statues carved in his honor.
- There was a colossal statue of the King in the middle of the square.
- During the middle of each month the full moon was attacked by a colossal sow and ravenously devoured.
- Indeed, even colossal traffic jams, for all their cost in wasted time, have failed to deter motorists.
- Tabitha looked up at the colossal walls of seamless pink stone rising hundreds of metres overhead, disappearing up into the dark.
- The cost in terms of technological advance and the dissemination of fresh and stimulating ideas, is incalculable but colossal.
- They mix colossal metal riffs with hip-hop, employing four-letter lyrics.
- To cut our own throats so thoroughly and so hopelessly would require colossal stupidity.
- You could try of course, but after a colossal, tiring ridge-walk you would be a dingbat even to think of it.
- You think the Red Cross is the savior during colossal natural disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes and floods and tornadoes.
THESAURUSvery big► huge/massive/enormous
Collocations extremely big: · The table was enormous.· a huge explosion· Their house is huge.· There is a huge amount of work to be done.· There has been a massive increase in oil prices.· The company is massive, operating in 150 countries.· A massive fire destroyed more than thirty homes.· He’s been under an enormous amount of stress recently.· The changes will have an enormous impact.
► great [only before noun] very big – used especially to describe the level or number of something: · He achieved great success in America.· The college offers a great number of courses.· a great advantage
► vast extremely big – used about areas, distances, numbers, or amounts: · vast areas of rainforest· A vast number of tourists visit the island every year.
► gigantic extremely big and much bigger than other things of the same type: · Gigantic waves crashed onto the beach.
► colossal extremely big – used about amounts or objects: · James ran up a colossal phone bill.· a colossal statue of Napoleon
► tremendous having an extremely big effect: · There have been some tremendous changes.· My new job will be a tremendous challenge.· The children were making a tremendous amount of noise.
Longman Language Activatorvery big► huge/enormous very big and impressive: · She wears an engagement ring set with a huge diamond.· My grandmother was wearing an enormous hat.· She looked at the huge motorcycle. "I'll never be able to ride that!''· There was an enormous spider in the bottom of the bath.· By the time of his death the company had grown into an enormous multi-national operation.
► great very big and impressive - used especially in literature: · Like great sailing ships, the clouds sped across the sky.· As far as the eye could see, there stretched a great herd of buffalo.
► great big spoken extremely big: · They've built a great big shopping mall in the centre of town.· There are fish in the pool, great big ones.· She was given a great big bunch of flowers.
► massive use this about things that are extremely big and impressive, especially when they are solid and heavy: · Her house is massive.· The ancient temple's massive stone pillars had begun to crumble.· The bell is massive, weighing over forty tons.
► gigantic much bigger than other things of the same type, often in a slightly strange or frightening way: · Gigantic waves more than 40 feet high crashed against the boat.· These gigantic creatures became extinct in the Jurassic period.
► colossal extremely and surprisingly big - used especially about structures, buildings, and other things that have been built: · There was a colossal statue of the King in the middle of the square.· A crane arrived, its colossal arm reaching out of the sky toward the building.
► giant use this about a plant or animal that has grown to an unusually large size, or is of a type that is always much larger than ordinary plants or animals: · Giant cabbages grew in the garden.· Be careful. The forest is full of giant snakes and spiders.· ...and then this giant green monster appeared from the cave.
► extra large use this about packets, bottles, or other products that are much bigger than the size that is usually sold: · an extra large packet of cornflakes· Extra large eggs are generally a better buy than medium or large.
► be a whopper spoken informal to be extremely big compared to the usual size: · Look at the size of that pumpkin -- it's a whopper.
very large numbers or amounts► huge/enormous · A huge number of people turned up for the demonstration.· Their profits are enormous.· Joan had very little money, and her hotel bill was huge.· Enormous sums of money were spent on the construction of the Channel Tunnel.
► vast use this about an amount, number etc that is so large that it cannot be easily measured: · The refugees arrived in vast numbers from villages all along the border.· Vast quantities of food and drink were consumed at the wedding.
► massive extremely large: · The system is capable of recording massive amounts of information.· Union leaders are warning of massive job losses.· The sums involved are massive -- over £12 billion in the first year alone.
► colossal use this about numbers or amounts, especially of money, that are extremely and surprisingly large: · Children are failing exams and dropping out of school in colossal numbers.
► whopping spoken informal a whopping sum of money or number is extremely large: · He managed to get a TV celebrity to open the theatre -- but at a whopping fee.· In the divorce proceedings, she demanded the car and a whopping two-thirds of the family business.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES► a colossal statue
used to emphasize that something is extremely large: (=very large)· The north side of the building is dominated by a colossal statue of Bishop Gregory.
a colossal statue of the King The whole holiday was a colossal waste of money.► see thesaurus at big—colossally adverb