Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Extremely high, towering, dizzyingly high: Describes something of immense height, often to a degree that inspires awe or seems to reach the sky.
   • Very lofty, soaring: Indicates great vertical elevation, typically used for natural or man-made structures.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Ngọn núi cao ngất vời. (A dizzyingly high mountain.)
  • Tòa nhà chọc trời cao ngất. (A towering skyscraper.)
  • Cây cổ thụ cao ngất giữa rừng. (An extremely tall ancient tree in the forest.)

Advanced Usage

• "cao ngất trời" or "cao ngất ngưởng": An intensified form emphasizing extreme, almost immeasurable height, sometimes with a connotation of proud loftiness.
  • Ngọn tháp cao ngất trời. (The tower reaches dizzyingly into the sky.)
• Used figuratively to describe abstract concepts like ambition, status, or ideals that are exceptionally high.
  • Những ước mơ cao ngất. (Lofty dreams.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cao vút (adj): Very high and pointed, soaring; often describes something tall and slender (e.g., a spire, a pinnacle).
• Chót vót (adj): Very high, towering; often used for mountains or cliffs, emphasizing verticality and remoteness.
• Ngất ngưởng (adj): Teetering, unsteady at a height; can also mean acting in a carefree, unconventional manner. While it shares the root "ngất," its primary meaning differs.

Synonyms

• Cao chót vót: Towering, very high.
• Cao vời vợi: Immeasurably high, lofty (often for abstract things like hopes).
• Hùng vĩ: Majestic, grand (broader than just height, includes grandeur).

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Cao ngất ngưởng: This phrase can blend the meaning of great height with a sense of being unsteady, precarious, or audaciously proud at that height.
  • Anh ta đứng trên đỉnh vinh quang cao ngất ngưởng. (He stands on a dizzyingly high and somewhat precarious peak of glory.)

1. Dizzily high, towering