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monumental

monumental

17 6.3
Very large and impressive like a famous building or statue
  • adjective
  • /ˌmɒn.jəˈmɛn.təl/
: monumental
  • Ma'am, we took on a monumental challenge... in a difficult work environment.
  • monumental architecture
  • monumental sculpture
  • monumental construction

Oh, you haven't read Proust's, you know, monumental opus, which I'll admit I haven't read.

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Examples

  • The trees had grown, and the monumental structure of Hotel de Ville had darkened over the years.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Designing a fast laptop is a monumental challenge because of two things, heat and power.

  • You are making a monumental mistake.

  • It was a monumental job, but a job which had to be done.

  • Ancient heroes were defined by their monumental deeds as much as by their tragic ends.

  • Unlike the Met, the museum seemed emptily monumental, too big for its actual holdings.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Needless to say, the Hercules was a monumental undertaking.

  • Already, Tokyo Teleport Town bristles with monumental and unusual new buildings.

    Academic text (1998)
  • With the press of a button, Roosevelt puts into operation the Tennessee Valley Dam, a monumental accomplishment that provides flood control... and electricity to the southern states.

  • The new museum features a monumental statue that attracts tourists from all over the world.

Synonyms

huge
vsmonumental
∞ 1.0

Very large in size, amount, or degree

carries extra weight of notable design and enduring importance
great
vsmonumental
∞ 1.0

Important and famous because of high quality or influence

adds physical grandeur and monument-like lasting quality to importance
giant
vsmonumental
975 1.0

Very large in size

stresses striking design and enduring importance instead of bulk
massive
vsmonumental
944 2.9

Very large and impressive in scale

focuses more on impressive form and lasting importance than mere size
tremendous
vsmonumental
671 3.0

Very large or impressive

is more about large impressive appearance and lasting value than intensity
grand
vsmonumental
569 3.0

Impressive and large in appearance or style

is more about lasting monument qualities than decorative style alone
historic
vsmonumental
466 3.9

Important in history and often remembered for a long time

focuses on physical impressiveness and designed lasting significance rather than only history
gigantic
vsmonumental
145 3.2

Very large, much bigger than normal

adds lasting monument-like design and continuing importance to size
immense
vsmonumental
132 3.7

Very large in size, amount, or degree

adds the idea of designed impressiveness and long-lasting significance
colossal
vsmonumental
56 4.7

So large in size or amount that it causes great surprise

highlights built form and lasting significance beyond awe alone
towering
vsmonumental
42 4.0

Very tall and impressive, rising high above other things

focuses more on overall monument-like impressiveness and lasting effect
mammoth
vsmonumental
22 3.9

Very large in size or amount

puts more emphasis on memorable design and long-term significance
prodigious
vsmonumental
19 7.5

Very large or impressive in a way that surprises people

leans toward structured, lasting importance rather than pure magnitude
gargantuan
vsmonumental
19 7.3

Very large, much bigger than usual

adds the sense of planned grandeur and enduring significance
heroic
vsmonumental
16 4.2

Is very large and impressive in size or purpose

is broader, also referring to impressive design and physical scale
palatial
vsmonumental
9 7.4

Very large and beautiful, like a palace

is less about beauty and more about long-lasting impressive importance
monolithic
vsmonumental
5 7.8

Very large and solid in shape with no separate parts

is similar but stresses notable design and lasting importance
mountainous
vsmonumental
3 4.1

Something that is very large and like a mountain

adds emphasis on designed impressiveness and enduring significance
large-scale
vsmonumental
  • Specialized
1 3.7

Larger than usual to show more detail in maps or models

is about grand impressiveness and lasting importance beyond technical scale

Antonyms

110 3.9

Not important or serious

102 4.1

Not important or too small to matter

How Impressive

colossal
56 4.7
monumental
17 6.3
impressive
634 3.4
remarkable
591 2.8
noticeable
65 3.2

Surface Forms

monumental positive
monumentally positive

Morphology

monumental = monument (transparent) = monument + al

The adjective is directly formed from 'monument' with the regular suffix '-al', meaning 'related to or resembling a monument'.

Etymology

Monumental comes from monument, from the old Latin monumentum meaning 'a reminder', from monere 'to remind'. So monumental describes something very large and impressive, like a monument.