massive
/ˈmæs.ɪv/adjective, noun
massive is spelled M-A-S-S-I-V-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 52 times per million words in written English, the 1,941st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, massive means “Very large in size or extent” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in massive?
| Letters | 7: M-A-S-S-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 52 times per million words; the 1,941st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is massive?
Massive appears 52 times per million words in written English, the 1,941st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce massive?
- US /ˈmæs.ɪv/
Massive has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-massive.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with massive?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as massive from its last stressed vowel (/æsɪv/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of massive
- more massive comparative
- most massive superlative
- massives plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does massive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Very large in size or extent.
Compared to its counterparts from World War II, the Abrams main battle tank is truly massive.
- 2
Substantial in mass; bulky, heavy and solid.
A massive comet or asteroid appears to have ended the era of the dinosaurs.
- 3
informalTo a very great extent; total, utter.
- 4
colloquialOf particularly exceptional quality or value; awesome.
Did you see Colbert last night? He was massive!
- 5
IrelandcolloquialinformalOutstanding, beautiful.
Your dress is massive, love. Where did you get it?
- 6
Affecting a large portion of the body, or severe.
a massive heart attack
- 7
Having any mass.
Some bosons are massive while others are massless.
- 8
Homogeneous, unstructured.
noun
- 1
A homogeneous mass of rock, not layered and without an obvious crystal structure.
karst massives in western Georgia
- 2
slangA group of people from a locality, or sharing a collective aim, interest, etc.
Big up to the Croydon massive!
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Massive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense of great size, significance or import; overwhelming:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | massif, énorme, géant, immense |
| German | massiv |
| Portuguese | massivo |
| Spanish | masivo, enorme, cuantioso, gigante |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does massive come from?
From Middle English massif, from Middle French massif, equivalent to mass + -ive. The Irish sense is possibly derived from Irish mas (“fine, handsome”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).