Select the most appropriate synonym to replace the italicised word.

Colossal granite obelisks were erected by only a few kings.

Gigantic

The most appropriate synonym to replace the italicised word "colossal" is gigantic.

• Colossal means extremely large or impressive in size.
• Gigantic means extremely large or immense in size.

The two words are similar in that they both suggest a very large size. However, the word colossal has a more formal or literary connotation, while the word gigantic has a more informal or colloquial connotation.

The other words on the list are not as appropriate synonyms for colossal. The word minute means very small or insignificant in size, the word minuscule means very small or tiny in size, and the word lilliputian means very small or tiny in size. These words do not convey the same sense of largeness as the word colossal.