-alis

of, relating to

Forms

-alis
-aris — Latin variant especially used when the stem already contained l, avoiding a repeated l sound.
-al — English ending borrowed through French or directly from Latin.
-ar — English ending continuing Latin -aris.

Origin

An older Latin adjective-forming suffix; its more remote ancestry is uncertain.

Note

Expresses a relationship without specifying its kind: material, place, purpose, and other connections are possible.

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adjective

monumental

mahn-yoo-MEN-tul/ˌmɑːnjuˈmentl/

Exceptionally large, important, or impressive.

The monumental dam towers above the two visitors at its base.

An immense stone dam towers above two tiny visitors at its base.

Etymology

monumentLatinmonument, memorial structure

+alLatinof, relating to

A monument is a structure that keeps something in memory. Monumental shifted from describing such structures to describing anything comparable to a monument in size, prominence, or impressiveness.

In context

AP Archive0:55

… He's better known for his very large monumental canvases like a Sunday on Lagonat. And so we we don't think of him as a seascape painter, but actually they represent more than half of his production.

How master of pointillism Georges Seurat painted the sea

More examples

The court's decision marks a monumental change in civil rights.
Forgetting to save the file was a monumental mistake.
They celebrate a monumental achievement after years of research.

Forms

monumental

monumentally adverb — To an exceptionally great or impressive degree.

Similar words

enormous: Emphasizes great size or quantity rather than lasting significance.
momentous: Emphasizes serious consequences rather than physical size or grandeur.
impressive: Emphasizes admiration, without necessarily suggesting exceptional scale or importance.