Big and small are the first describing words children learn; these ten are their grown-up cousins. Five are for the enormous (immense, colossal, monumental, prodigious, gargantuan) and five for the tiny (minute, minuscule, diminutive, infinitesimal, negligible).
Key idea
Each has a flavor. Monumental and prodigious often mean great in importance or skill, not just size. Diminutive usually describes a person. Negligible means so small it doesn’t matter.
Two traps: minuscule is spelled with a u (from minus), and minute the adjective is pronounced my-NOOT, not like the minute on a clock.
The ten words
Common mistake
minuscule is spelled with a u (from minus), not "miniscule." minute the adjective is pronounced my-NOOT.
| big word | its flavor | small word | its flavor |
|---|---|---|---|
| immense | too big to measure | minute | tiny; or very detailed |
| colossal | awe-inspiring size | minuscule | tiny (spelled with u) |
| monumental | big in size or importance | diminutive | small in height |
| prodigious | remarkable, impressive | infinitesimal | too small to measure |
| gargantuan | huge in bulk or appetite | negligible | too small to matter |
Minute has two pronunciations and two meanings. MIN-it is the sixty-second minute; my-NOOT means tiny, or carefully detailed (a minute examination). Both come from Latin minutus, “made small.”