massive

Pluralmassives

1. 1
   huge (in size)adjective

   Very large in size, scale, or extent, describing how big something is rather than how intense or complete it is.

   The company announced a massive expansion into overseas markets.

   Engineers were stunned by the massive scale of the new bridge.

   Similarhuge, enormous, vast, immense, colossal

   Oppositetiny, small, modest

   Note

   The word is mass plus -ive, reached through Middle French massif, and its first idea was bulk. Here that bulk has stretched into extent, so it happily modifies abstractions and spreading things: massive shifts in Western thought, a massive expansion, solar parks covering whole hillsides. It has even settled into a fixed name, massive open online courses, the MOOCs that The Economist reported shaking academia in 2013. Source

   Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • Massive came through Middle French massif and is equivalent to mass plus -ive. en.wiktionary.org
   • The word's early meaning concerned bulk or substantial weight. en.wiktionary.org
   • The Economist reported in 2013 that massive open online courses, abbreviated MOOCs, were shaking academia. plus.ac.at
2. 2
   extremeadjectivecolloquial

   Total or utter; to a very great degree.

   The announcement came as a massive relief to everyone waiting.

   His sudden resignation was a massive blow to the campaign.

   Similartremendous

3. 3
   adjective

   Large, bulky, heavy, and solid in build.

   The vault was protected by a massive steel door.

   Workers struggled to set the massive granite blocks into place.

   Similarheavy, solid, bulky, hefty, ponderous

   Oppositeflimsy, slight

4. 4
   adjective

   Having a large mass.

   Astronomers detected a massive object at the galaxy's center.

   A massive star ends its life in a spectacular explosion.

   Oppositelight

   Note

   Physics measures this sense rather than judging it by eye. The word refers to mass, not volume, and a large mass brings large inertia and strong gravitational pull. It invites comparison by multiples, as with a planetary embryo about 10 times more massive than Earth. Stars, planets and other astronomical bodies are its usual subjects. Source

   Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

   • Mass is a measurable physical quantity. pwg.gsfc.nasa.gov
   • Mass and volume are distinct quantities. www1.grc.nasa.gov
   • Greater mass means greater inertia. pwg.gsfc.nasa.gov
   • Greater mass produces stronger gravitational attraction, other conditions being equal. spaceplace.nasa.gov
   • A planetary embryo about ten times Earth's mass has been proposed in research. naturalsciences.rice.edu
5. 5
   serious (illness)adjective

   Affecting a large portion of the body, or severe in its effect.

   He suffered a massive stroke and was rushed into surgery.

   The surgeon warned the family that massive blood loss could follow.

   Similarsevere, major, serious, extensive

   Oppositeminor, mild

   Note

   Clinical English uses the word for reach and severity at once, and what it measures depends on the event. With a heart attack or a stroke it points to how much of the organ is affected; with a hemorrhage it points to how much blood is lost. In a medical report it is a working description, not an exaggeration, and it attaches to the event (the stroke, the bleed, the infarction) rather than to the patient.

6. 6
   a big successadjectivecolloquial

   Used as praise for something excellent or hugely impressive, such as a great song, match, or night out, rather than to say how big or how complete it is.

   Landing that trick on the very first try was massive, and the whole crowd went wild.

   Have you heard the band's new single? It's massive, easily the best thing they've ever done.

   UsageWorks before a noun or alone after a verb: a massive day, he was massive!

   Note

   Here size drops out and only enthusiasm is left: a massive day, massive coolness, a massive night out, where the word praises rather than measures. It was already at home in casual Usenet talk of 1995 and 1998.

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