massive

adjective mas·sive \ ˈma-siv \

Updated on: 8 Dec 2017

Definition of massive

1 : forming or consisting of a large mass:

a : bulky

massive furniture

b : weighty, heavy

massive walls

a massive volume

c : impressively large or ponderous

stars more massive than the sun

d : having no regular form but not necessarily lacking crystalline structure

massive sandstone

2 a : large, solid, or heavy in structure

massive jaw

b : large in scope or degree

the feeling of frustration, of being ineffectual, is massive
—David Halberstam

c (1) : large in comparison to what is typical

a massive dose of penicillin

(2) : being extensive and severe

massive hemorrhage

(3) : imposing in excellence or grandeur

massive simplicity

the most massive American dramatist of his time
—Newsweek

3 : having mass (see ²mass 1c)

a massive boson

—

massively

adverb

—

massiveness

noun

See massive defined for English-language learners

See massive defined for kids

Examples of massive in a Sentence

The fort had massive walls.
stars more massive than the sun
A massive effort will be required to clean up the debris.
You can find a massive amount of information on the Internet.
The stunt received massive publicity.
a massive collection of baseball cards

Recent Examples of massive from the Web

But Republicans are wary of both, and Mulvaney has reportedly been squeamish about committing the administration to supplying the massive amounts of cash required to effectively deal with the crisis.

— tina nguyen, vanityfair.com, "Why Trump’s Do-Nothing Opioid Plan Could Be a Death Sentence for His Base," 27 Oct. 2017
But Republicans are wary of both, and Mulvaney has reportedly been squeamish about committing the administration to supplying the massive amounts of cash required to effectively deal with the crisis.

— tina nguyen, The Hive, "Why Trump’s Do-Nothing Opioid Plan Could Be a Death Sentence for His Base," 27 Oct. 2017
Critics argue the massive, 1,092-foot aircraft carriers are obsolete as adversaries invest in weapons to keep them far from their shores.

— julian e. barnes, WSJ, "U.S. Could Block-Buy Aircraft Carriers, Says Navy Secretary," 19 Oct. 2017
This is the Atomic Bomb Dome, located at the destruction’s epicenter, the sole building that managed to remain standing amid the massive force that flattened everything else for miles in all directions.

— juli berwald, Discover Magazine, "The Immortal Jellyfish," 20 Nov. 2017
On November 4th the kingdom announced that scores of people had been held in a massive anti-corruption sweep.

— The Economist, "Saudi Arabia’s unprecedented shake-up," 5 Nov. 2017
Bevin, also a Republican, has promised to call a special legislative session this year to adopt pension reform that will put Kentucky on a path of resolving the massive liabilities within its retirement plans.

— tom loftus, The Courier-Journal, "House Republicans still don't have the votes to pass the Kentucky pension reform bill," 3 Nov. 2017
The particles are much like electrons but 207 times as massive.

— giorgia guglielmi, Science | AAAS, "Cosmic rays reveal unknown void in the Great Pyramid of Giza," 2 Nov. 2017
Brandon Wade Star-Telegram Downtown Korean spot Hoya Korean Kitchen has undergone a massive makeover.

— star-telegram, "November restaurant news: New steak, wine, cocktails and more," 1 Nov. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'massive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.