different between colossal vs tremendous

English

Etymology

From French colossal, formed from Latin colossus, from Ancient Greek ???????? (kolossós, “giant statue”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k??l?s?l/
• Rhymes: -?s?l

Adjective

colossal (comparative more colossal, superlative most colossal)

1. Extremely large or on a great scale.
2. Amazingly spectacular; extraordinary; epic.

Synonyms

• (extremely large): enormous, giant, gigantic, immense, prodigious, vast
• See also Thesaurus:gigantic

Related terms

• colosseum
• colossus

Translations

Anagrams

• alcosols

French

Etymology

Formed from Latin colossus, from Ancient Greek ???????? (kolossós) (originally used by Herodotus in reference to statues in ancient Egyptian temples).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k?.l?.sal/

Adjective

colossal (feminine singular colossale, masculine plural colossaux, feminine plural colossales)

1. colossal, huge

Derived terms

• calmar colossal

Further reading

• “colossal” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Portuguese

Etymology

From colosso +? -al.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /?ko.lo.?saw/

Adjective

colossal m or f (plural colossais, comparable)

1. colossal (extremely large)

   Synonyms: gigante, enorme

English

Etymology

From Latin tremendus (“fearful, terrible”), gerundive of trem? (“to tremble”), + -ous.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t???m?nd?s/
• (weak vowel merger) IPA^(key): /t???m?nd?s/
• Rhymes: -?nd?s
• Hyphenation: tre?men?dous

Adjective

tremendous (comparative more tremendous, superlative most tremendous)

1. awe-inspiring; terrific.
2. Notable for its size, power, or excellence.

   Van Beethoven's ninth symphony is a tremendous piece of music.

3. Extremely large (in amount, extent, degree, etc.) or great

   There was a tremendous outpouring of support.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:gigantic

Derived terms

• tremendously
• tremendousness

Translations

Trivia

One of four common words ending in -dous, which are hazardous, horrendous, stupendous, and tremendous.

References