colossal

英 [kə'lɒsl] 美 [kə'lɑːsl]

adj. 巨大的； <口>异常的

◉Etymology

“Colossal”源自意大利语“colossale”，意为“巨大的”或“庞大的”，进一步源自希腊语“kolossos”，意为“巨像”或“巨人”。因此，“colossal”一词的本义是指与巨大的雕像或巨人相关的，引申为巨大的或庞大的。

◉外刊例句

① 《华盛顿邮报》（The Washington Post）, 2024-11-10

The colossal impact of the climate crisis on global economies cannot be understated.

气候危机对全球经济的巨大影响不可低估。

② 《卫报》（The Guardian）, 2024-10-28

The company’s new headquarters building is a colossal structure, towering over the city skyline.

公司的新总部大楼是一座巨大的建筑，高耸于城市天际线之上。

◉经典名著

① 《悲惨世界》（Les Misérables）, 维克多·雨果, 1862

The colossal cathedral stood as a symbol of faith and strength amidst the bustling city.

那座巨大的教堂矗立在熙熙攘攘的城市中，象征着信仰和力量。

② 《简·爱》（Jane Eyre）, 夏洛蒂·勃朗特, 1847

The colossal library in Thornfield Hall was filled with countless volumes of books.

桑菲尔德庄园的巨大图书馆里有无数的书籍。

◉Usage Examples

(1) This is indeed a colossal success.

(2) But to go back to the old ways would be a colossal mistake.

(1) 这确实是个巨大的成功。

(2) 但是，回到老路上将是一个巨大的错误。

◉Usage Notes

Colossal describes something so large it makes you say, "Whoa!" You might have a colossal amount of homework, or see a colossal pyramid while vacationing in Egypt.

Colossal can refer to an item's physical size, like a giant redwood tree, but it can also be used to describe the force or scope of something — like the colossal force of a thunderstorm that knocked down the redwood tree, or the colossal scope of your school project on the history of the redwoods that seems like it will never, ever end. It comes from the Greek word kolossos, meaning "gigantic statue."

◉Colins

1. [ADJ-GRADED 能被表示程度的副词或介词词组修饰的形容词]巨大的；庞大的 If you describe something as colossal, you are emphasizing that it is very large. [emphasis]

There has been a colossal waste of public money...

一直存在巨大的公款浪费。

The task they face is colossal.

他们面临的任务十分艰巨。

colossally

Their policies have been colossally destructive.

他们的政策极具破坏性。