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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Monumental: Definition, Meaning, and Usage Examples (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：extremely large (monumental)

monumental 🔊

/ˌmɑːn.jəˈmen.t̬əl/

adj.

Used to describe something that is very, very big or large in size.

Monumental pyramid scale: tiny person looking up at huge ancient stone structure

extremely large 🔊

➕

/ɪkˈstriːm.li lɑːrdʒ/

adj.

Describing something that is massive, huge, or colossal in physical dimensions.

📁 Category：Buildings & Places 🔖 Level：advanced

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'monumentum' (a monument) + '-al' (adjective suffix).

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine a massive monument – 'monumental' means that big or important.

📖 Example

Standing at the foot of the monumental Great Wall of China, I felt incredibly small. 🔊 Standing at the foot of the monumental Great Wall of China, I felt incredibly small.

🔗 Collocations

monumental structure – a very large building or monument

monumental size – extremely large physical dimensions

monumental scale – an impressively large scope or magnitude

🔄 Synonyms

enormous (adj.) – very large in size or extent

colossal (adj.) – extremely large, like a colossus

gigantic (adj.) – of very great size or extent

🚫 Antonyms

tiny (adj.) – very small in size

minute (adj.) – extremely small

insignificant (adj.) – too small or unimportant to be worth consideration

🌱 Derivatives

monumentally (adv.) – in a monumental manner; to an extremely large degree

monumentality (n.) – the quality or state of being monumental

monumentalize (v.) – to make or treat as monumental

📖 Cultural Story

The word originates from Latin 'monere' (to remind), as monuments are built to remind people of events or people. Over time, 'monumental' came to describe anything of great size or significance.

Meaning 2：extremely significant (monumental)

monumental 🔊

/ˌmɑːn.jəˈmen.t̬əl/

adj.

Describing something that is a very big effort or a very big mistake, emphasizing great scale or importance.

Monumental effort: person pushing a gigantic boulder up a hill

extremely significant 🔊

➕

/ɪkˈstriːm.li sɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/

adj.

Describing something that requires immense effort, has great significance, or represents a major milestone.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：advanced

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

Learning a new language from scratch is a monumental task, but it's also very rewarding. 🔊 Learning a new language from scratch is a monumental task, but it's also very rewarding.

🔗 Collocations

monumental task – a task requiring great effort and dedication

monumental achievement – an achievement of great importance or impact

monumental error – a very serious or costly mistake

🔄 Synonyms

immense (adj.) – extremely large or great in scale

profound (adj.) – very great or intense in effect or significance

momentous (adj.) – of great importance or consequence

🚫 Antonyms

trivial (adj.) – of little value or importance

insignificant (adj.) – too small or unimportant to be worth consideration

minor (adj.) – lesser in importance, seriousness, or significance

🌱 Derivatives

monumentally (adv.) – in a monumental manner; to an extremely large degree

monumentality (n.) – the quality or state of being monumental

monumentalize (v.) – to make or treat as monumental