I. ˈmasiv, -aas-, -ais-, -sēv also -əv adjective
Etymology: Middle English massiffe, from Middle French massif, from masse mass + -if -ive — more at mass
1.
a.
(1) : forming or consisting of a large mass : having a solid bulky form : compact , weighty , heavy
massive rocks
massive walls
massive , sturdy furniture — C.B.Kelsey
a massive volume of 600 pages — Times Literary Supplement
(2) : not hollow or plated : solid
the sheath of his long knife, and other things about him were of massive silver — W.H.Hudson †1922
b.
(1) : characterized by solid agglomeration of materials (as bricks or stones piled in a wall, solid pisé or concrete)
a building of massive construction
(2) : composed of or characterized by heavy monumental forms
the massive and pointed style of the German Gothic — Frederika Blankner
c. : having no regular form but not being necessarily without a crystalline structure
massive sandstone
2.
a. : having a large, solid, or heavy build
faced the massive policewoman — Lois Shea
: relatively or imposingly large
eyebrows were very massive , almost meeting over the nose — Bram Stoker
a massive policeman's face — Ngaio Marsh
the massive jaw, and the unyielding mouth — Eric Linklater
b. : large in quantity, intensity, scope, or degree
the most massive odor I have ever known — Havelock Ellis
had a sudden and massive effect on book reading — Publishers' Weekly
a surfeit of war and massive injustice — John Barkham
massive and instant retaliation — Elmer Davis
c.
(1) : large in comparison to what is typical — used especially of medical dosage or of an infective agent
a massive dose of penicillin
(2) : extensive and severe — used of a pathologic condition
a massive hemorrhage
a massive collapse of a lung
(3) : impressive or imposing in extent or depth, or through moral or intellectual excellence or grandeur : notable , monumental
massive simplicity — there's the pith of greatness in everything the man did — H.J.Laski
a massive simple man, above wile and above suspicion — Francis Hackett
watched Grandmother move with a massive dignity — Ellen Glasgow
the most massive American dramatist of his time — Newsweek
it was this massive figure … who became the master and innovator of his period — M.D.Geismar
Synonyms:
massive , massy , bulky , monumental , and substantial can all mean impressively large or heavy. massive stresses bulk and solidity of construction
bulky gas tanks — brown, massive, ugly — American Guide Series: New York City
the state capitol at Austin — a massive pile of pink granite, bigger than the capitol at Washington — Green Peyton
one of the most massive programs ever submitted by any president to Congress — Frank Kent
massy , not common in spoken English, implies more ponderousness than does massive but equal solidity and strength
this oak table top seems to be all of a piece, a massy whole — T.H.Littlefield
a massy building of stone and orange-pink stucco — Al Hine
avalanches … in their low massy thunder tones — John Muir †1914
bulky stresses size, usually implying the occupying of a space out of proportion to the weight of an object and suggesting a consequent difficulty in the maneuvering of the object
the rounded bulky form of a fat old lady — Lytton Strachey
compartments were fitted to hold the bulky articles — American Guide Series: Arizona
sitting on the floor, doubled up, bulky in his blue dungarees — Liam O'Flaherty
monumental suggests a great size or massiveness that is imposing
this striking brick and limestone structure has monumental entrances flanked by chrome and frosted-glass lamps and surmounted by gilt eagles — American Guide Series: North Carolina
the monumental six-volume work on international arbitration — L.M.Sears
his commanding past, his monumental self-confidence — Time
substantial , though it can apply to size, stresses solidity and strength of construction, usually implying worth, quality, or stability rather than great size or imposingness of appearance
substantial homes for the technical employees of the two corporations — American Guide Series: Nevada
so substantial was the construction that a number of these buildings are standing today in a good state of preservation — American Guide Series: Ind.
this substantial volume, with over 700 pages of text — R.C.K.Ensor
II. adjective
: having mass
a massive boson