massive

adjective

mas·​sive ˈma-siv 

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 mass entry 2 sense 1c)

a massive boson

massively adverb

massiveness noun

Synonyms

• heavy
• hefty
• ponderous
• weighty

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 on the Web

For Carpenter, who kicked off her rise as an Eras Tour opener, this year has been massive. —Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 30 Oct. 2024

This is also the second home of off-road utility specialist Polaris, which hosts a massive annual gathering for enthusiasts called Camp RZR. —Kristin Shaw, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

Laura died of a brain aneurysm in 2014 On Aug. 6, 2014, Martha announced on her blog that Laura had died of a massive brain aneurysm. —Emily Blackwood, People.com, 30 Oct. 2024

Instead, Trump won Rusk by 35 points and Vernon by only 5, a massive difference. —Craig Gilbert, Journal Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English massiffe, from Anglo-French mascif, alteration of massiz, from Vulgar Latin *massicius, from Latin massa mass

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

massive

adjective

mas·​sive ˈmas-iv 

1

: weighty sense 1, heavy

massive walls

2

a

: large, solid, or heavy in structure

a massive jaw

b

: large in extent or degree

a massive effort

3

: having mass

massively adverb

massiveness noun

Medical Definition

massive

adjective

mas·​sive ˈmas-iv 

1

: large in comparison to what is typical

—used especially of medical dosage or of an infectious agent

a massive dose of penicillin

2

: being extensive and severe

—used of a pathologic condition

a massive hemorrhage

a massive collapse of a lung