monumental
/,mɔnju'mentl/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Imposing in size, bulk, or solidity: Of great size, scale, or impressiveness, often suggesting something massive and enduring.
- Of outstanding significance or importance: Exceptionally great, important, or lasting in impact.
- Relating to, belonging to, or serving as a monument: Pertaining to or suitable for a structure built to commemorate a person or event.
Usage and Examples
Describing size or scale:
- The government building was a monumental structure with towering columns.
- The task of cleaning the entire archive was monumental in scope.
Describing significance or achievement:
- Her monumental efforts led to a breakthrough in cancer research.
- The team faced a monumental challenge in rebuilding the city after the hurricane.
Relating to a physical monument:
- The monumental arch was erected to celebrate the country's independence.
- The garden featured monumental sculptures from the 18th century.
Advanced Usage
- Used for emphasis (often hyperbolic): Can describe something extreme in a non-literal sense, often negative qualities.
- He displayed a monumental lack of judgment in that situation. (Meaning: an extraordinarily great lack)
- It was a monumental waste of time and resources.
Variants and Related Words
- Monument (n): A statue, building, or other structure erected to commemorate a notable person or event.
- The Washington Monument is a famous obelisk in the capital.
- Monumentally (adv): To a monumental degree; enormously.
- The project was monumentally expensive.
Synonyms
- Colossal: Extremely large.
- Titanic: Of exceptional strength, size, or power.
- Immense: Extremely large or great, especially in scale or degree.
- Monolithic: Formed from a single large block of stone; massive and uniform.
Antonyms
- Insignificant: Too small or unimportant to be worth consideration.
- Minuscule: Extremely small; tiny.
- Trivial: Of little value or importance.
Idioms and Fixed Phrases
- A monumental task/achievement: A task or achievement of enormous scale or importance.
- Organizing the global conference was a monumental task for the small team.
- Monumental error/mistake: A very great and serious error.
- Ignoring the early warnings proved to be a monumental error.
Adjective
- imposing in size or bulk or solidity
- massive oak doors
- Moore's massive sculptures
- the monolithic proportions of Stalinist architecture
- a monumental scale
- of outstanding significance
- Einstein's monumental contributions to physics
- relating or belonging to or serving as a monument
- the use of the arch in monumental architecture
- monumental sculptures