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colossus

colossus

4 7.5
A very large, strong, or important person like a leader
  • noun
  • /kəˈlɑsəs/
translation icon : coloso
  • Obviously, you know, the, the US went from a, you know, kind of average agrarian country to the industrial colossus of the, the world.

So Marjorie Kemp should be a she is a literary colossus, but she should be known more more widely as such.

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Examples

  • But the mystery of the colossus is forever locked in the past.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • BYD, it's the, it's the colossus of China that makes electric vehicles.

  • None could have ever imagined that such a small, young nation could stand up to the colossus which bore down upon it.

  • Behold this America, this new colossus, this fair land of the free!

  • There is the power that bestrides the known world like a colossus.

  • The United States, long a feared colossus of the North, beckoned.

    Academic text (2001)
  • Notwithstanding, Saraki remained a colossus not only in Kwara politics but in the nation as a whole.

    Blog text (2)
  • At the forks of the Ohio stands an American city, a colossus of steel, whose mills and furnaces bring forth bone and sinew for a nation.

  • Yue Yuen may be unknown to U.S. consumers, but it is a colossus in the wholesale footwear industry.

  • The man was a colossus, and on several occasions I had witnessed his extraordinary physical strength.

Synonyms

giant
vscolossus
126 4.0

A very important and influential person in a field

stresses physical size or general importance beyond one area
powerhouse
vscolossus
57 4.5

A person, team, or organization that is very successful and able to influence others

is limited to naming a single person rather than teams or organizations
big deal
vscolossus
  • Informal
37 3.8

An important person who is treated as successful or powerful

is a more neutral term for large, strong, or very influential persons
biggie
vscolossus
  • Informal
35 6.8

A very important event, thing, or person that matters a lot

is focused on a person who is physically large or highly influential
behemoth
vscolossus
31 7.8

A very large and powerful thing, person, or group

is used specifically for an individual person rather than groups or objects
heavyweight
vscolossus
29 3.5

A person who has great power or influence in a field

places more emphasis on extreme size, strength, or wide influence
bigwig
vscolossus
  • Informal
22 6.9

An important person with power in a company or group

is broader, covering very large size or influence across society
titan
vscolossus
19 7.1

A very powerful and important person in a field

includes physical size or broad importance beyond a single field
leviathan
vscolossus
  • Literature
17 9.3

A very large and powerful thing, for example a company or ship

focuses on an individual who is very large, strong, or influential
16 2.5

A person with great power or status who gets special treatment

refers more generally to size, strength, or broad influential power
heavy hitter
vscolossus
  • Informal
12 4.9

A person who has a lot of power and influence in a field

is broader and also describes physical largeness or general power
big gun
vscolossus
  • Informal
9 5.1

An important person with power in a company or field

applies more widely to very large or influential people beyond one situation
big cheese
vscolossus
  • Slang
8 5.3

A person who is very important in a group or company

is a wider term that can stress physical size or major influence
big kahuna
vscolossus
  • Slang
4 9.5

A very important person in a group or organization, often the most powerful

is used for very large or influential people generally, not only the top person
goliath
vscolossus
2 7.4

A very large and powerful person or company that beats others easily

also applies to very important or influential people even without size
big dog
vscolossus
  • Informal
2 6.7

A person who is very important and powerful in a group

can also mean physical largeness or very broad influence outside the group
big daddy
vscolossus
  • Slang
1 8.1

An important person who makes key decisions for a group

can also describe any very large, strong, or influential individual
megalodon
vscolossus
  • Informal
1 8.2

A very large and powerful company or group that dominates its field

is a standard term for a very large, strong, or influential person
grand poobah
vscolossus
  • Slang
9.9

A joking name for a person who has great power in a group

is a neutral label for genuinely very large, strong, or influential people

Antonyms

weakling
  • Offensive
24 4.4

A person who has little body strength and gets tired easily

lightweight
  • Offensive
14 5.8

A person or thing of little importance

Idioms

To seem very powerful and important to yourself

Compounds

A very large company, organization, or person that dominates an industry

A huge bronze statue of the sun god Helios at Rhodes harbour destroyed by an earthquake after fifty years

How Important

colossus
4 7.5
giant
126 4.0
famous person
50 1.0
notable
5 4.1
lightweight
  • Offensive
14 5.8

Surface Forms

colossus singular
colossi plural

Etymology

Colossus comes from the Greek kolossos, which meant 'giant statue' and was the name of the famous Colossus of Rhodes, and it is the same root as colossal. So a colossus used for a person pictures someone huge, very strong, or extremely important.