towering

[ tou-er-ing ]

adjective

1. very high or tall; lofty:

   a towering oak.

   Synonyms: elevated

   Antonyms: short

2. surpassing others; very great:

   a towering figure in American poetry.

3. rising to an extreme degree of violence or intensity:

   a towering rage.

4. beyond the proper or usual limits; inordinate; excessive:

   towering pride; towering ambitions.

towering

/ ˈtaʊərɪŋ /

adjective

1. very tall; lofty
2. outstanding, as in importance or stature
3. prenominal very intense

   a towering rage

Derived Forms

• ˈtoweringly, adverb

Other Words From

• tower·ing·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of towering¹

From a late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; tower ¹, -ing ²

Synonym Study

See high.

Example Sentences

Ken Reid will be remembered as a towering figure in broadcasting.

From BBC

The trees are towering, the snow is thick, the rocks are craggy.

From New York Times

On a spring morning in 2002, the Sierra Club’s leaders gathered at the historic Ralston White Retreat, tucked between towering redwood trees on the side of Mount Tamalpais, high above the San Francisco Bay.

From Salon

The setting wasn’t a restaurant or a neighborhood street: It was the VIP section of a dedication ceremony in Boyle Heights for a towering set of murals featuring the late Dodgers ace Fernando Valenzuela.

From Los Angeles Times

It was a warm October evening and the swaths of black mustard weed on the trail had completely dried up, leaving the towering stalks spindly and bare.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• colossal
• gigantic
• imposing
• lofty
• magnificent
• massive
• mighty
• monumental
• prodigious
• soaring
• stately
• tall