monumental

[ mon-yuh-men-tl ]

adjective

1. resembling a monument; massive or imposing.

   Synonyms: colossal, immense

2. exceptionally great, as in quantity, quality, extent, or degree:

   a monumental work.

3. of historical or enduring significance:

   a monumental victory.

4. Fine Arts. having the quality of being larger than life; of heroic scale.
5. of or relating to a monument or monuments.
6. serving as a monument.

monumental

/ ˌmɒnjʊˈmɛntəl /

adjective

1. like a monument, esp in large size, endurance, or importance

   a monumental work of art

2. of, relating to, or being a monument
3. informal.
   (intensifier)

   monumental stupidity

Derived Forms

• ˌmonumenˈtality, noun
• ˌmonuˈmentally, adverb

Other Words From

• monu·mental·ism noun
• monu·men·tali·ty noun
• monu·mental·ly adverb
• premon·u·mental adjective
• unmon·u·mental adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of monumental¹

From the Late Latin word monumentālis, dating back to 1595–1605. See monument, -al ¹

Example Sentences

The next year saw Saafir make two absolutely monumental memorable contributions to hip-hop.

From Los Angeles Times

The simple answer is that solving Delhi's air problem requires monumental efforts and coordination.

From BBC

“They saw very complex stratified societies with monumental architecture and public works, but all without so-called agriculture,” she says, which they cited as a justification for colonizing “unused” lands.

From Science Magazine

But I’m dismayed that it was such a monumental effort and wonder how many other men committing crimes go unpunished because of the inefficiency, the failures and the delays.

From BBC

I was nervous about that initially, but it ended up being monumentally helpful because you get to distinguish the factors that come together in the end a little bit more by depicting them chronologically.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• awesome
• enduring
• enormous
• fantastic
• gigantic
• grand
• great
• historic
• huge
• immense
• mammoth
• massive
• memorable
• significant
• towering
• tremendous
• unforgettable
• vast