1
as in tall
extending to a great distance upward
the towering mountain peaks of the Rockies
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in excessive
going beyond a normal or acceptable limit in degree or amount
doting parents who tend to give their children towering praise for very minor accomplishments
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in majestic
very dignified in form, tone, or style
an article that in towering language decries the evils of modern society
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of towering
Mike Wilson, Dallas News, 21 May 2020
New York City has reportedly offered incarcerated workers jobs earning $6 per hour, a towering sum by prison standards.
—Emma Grey Ellis, Wired, 19 May 2020
Digging into a towering stack of pancakes at Casa Sedona Inn is the perfect way to load up on carbs before traversing the red-rock buttes on foot.
—Macy Sirmans, Travel + Leisure, 19 May 2020
The poet was a hero, a seer, a towering figure (Yeats above all), whose themes were history, epic and elegy.
—The Economist, 14 May 2020
See all Example Sentences for towering 
Adjective
Father Denis, who entered the Cistercian order in his native Hungary in 1955 and was ordained in Austria in 1961, was known for his towering intellect and deep spirituality.
—Mike Wilson, Dallas News, 21 May 2020
New York City has reportedly offered incarcerated workers jobs earning $6 per hour, a towering sum by prison standards.
—Emma Grey Ellis, Wired, 19 May 2020
Digging into a towering stack of pancakes at Casa Sedona Inn is the perfect way to load up on carbs before traversing the red-rock buttes on foot.
—Macy Sirmans, Travel + Leisure, 19 May 2020
The poet was a hero, a seer, a towering figure (Yeats above all), whose themes were history, epic and elegy.
—The Economist, 14 May 2020
See all Example Sentences for towering
Recent Examples of Synonyms for towering
Adjective
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Native to Puerto Rico and parts of the Leeward Islands, cowboy prickly pear can grow to 10 feet tall in the wild.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Jan. 2025
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For a school that is one of the smallest by enrollment in Division I (Queens’ undergraduate enrollment is under 2,000 students), the Royals are quite tall on the court.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Progressive reformers viewed this as a modern evil just like unsafe working conditions and the excessive power of trusts.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
28 Jan. 2025
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Those not able to cash in, however, see the program as one of two things: a genuine offer hamstrung by excessive red tape, or a half-hollow gesture meant to rack up free PR in the midst of a historic disaster.—
Jack Flemming,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The most devastating example was Dutch elm disease which came into the United States in the 1930s in infected logs, then killed majestic American elms that lined city streets across the eastern half of the country.—
Neil Sperry,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Jan. 2025
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Ranked as one of the natural wonders of the world, Mount Kilimanjaro is known for its majestic beauty and its challenging and rewarding hike.—
Michael Cappetta,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In 2018, a live wire broke free from a 100-year-old transmission tower in high winds and sparked the Camp fire, which killed scores of people and destroyed the town of Paradise in Northern California.—
Ivan Penn,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2025
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Dominant as the changeup is, Kahnle’s reliance on getting hitters to chase the pitch may be part of the reason his walk rates of 10.6 percent and 11.5 percent have been higher than average in each of the past two seasons.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
The Athletic,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Those steep canyons were too treacherous to hike into—a broken ankle would require an air evacuation—so the crew’s assignment was to create a mile-long containment line in the peaks west of Mount Wilson Observatory.—
M. R. O’Connor,
The New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2025
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This pick is also available in four other colors and a variety of smaller and larger sizes, but the oatmeal hue offers the steepest discount.—
Maggie Horton,
People.com,
27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The Parthenon Marbles: The Case for Reunification By Christopher Hitchens Christopher Hitchens, among the most eloquent and forceful advocates of rejoining the Parthenon marbles, helped tilt me toward the cause of repatriation.—
Ralph Leonard,
The Atlantic,
4 Feb. 2025
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They’re aided throughout by Bryce Dessner’s string score and eloquent, salt-of-the-earth narration from Will Patton (who also recorded the audiobook, repeating choice lines of Johnson’s at key moments here).—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2025
Verb
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With 2025 fast approaching, the start of a new year offers nonprofit professionals an opportune time to critically assess ongoing and rising trends impacting their communities and constituents.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes,
27 Dec. 2024
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Operators will have to pay $900 per ton of emissions, rising to $1,500 per ton in a few years.—
Christopher Helman,
Forbes,
27 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Editors’ Picks 36 Hours in Accra, Ghana Still, Mr. Bukele’s approach eroded civil rights in the country, human rights experts say: Mass arbitrary arrests, extreme overcrowding at prisons, reports of torture and at least 261 prison deaths between 2022 and 2024 were documented by several groups.—
Annie Correal,
New York Times,
5 Feb. 2025
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But families hoping to escape the long shadow of Trump’s policies may experience extreme challenges in getting to safety.—
Nico Lang,
Rolling Stone,
5 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near towering
Cite this Entry
“Towering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/towering. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
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