immense

adjective

im·​mense i-ˈmen(t)s 

1

: marked by greatness especially in size or degree

especially : transcending ordinary means of measurement

the immense universe

2

: supremely good

immenseness noun

Did you know?

Just how big is something if it is immense? Huge? Colossal? Humongous? Ginormous? Or merely enormous? Immense is often used as a synonym of all of the above and, as such, can simply function as yet another way for English speakers to say "really, really, really big." But immense is also used in a sense which goes beyond merely really, really, really big to describe something that is so great in size or degree that it transcends ordinary means of measurement. This sense harks back to the original sense of immense for something which is so tremendously big (such as, say, the universe) that it has not been or cannot be measured. This sense reflects the word's roots in the Latin immensus, from in- ("un-") and mensus, the past participle of metiri, "to measure."

Synonyms

• enormous
• vast
• tremendous
• huge
• gigantic
• massive
• giant
• colossal
• mammoth
• astronomical
• monumental
• astronomic

Choose the Right Synonym for immense

enormous, immense, huge, vast, gigantic, colossal, mammoth mean exceedingly large.

enormous and immense both suggest an exceeding of all ordinary bounds in size or amount or degree, but enormous often adds an implication of abnormality or monstrousness.

an enormous expense

an immense shopping mall

huge commonly suggests an immensity of bulk or amount.

incurred a huge debt

vast usually suggests immensity of extent.

the vast Russian steppes

gigantic stresses the contrast with the size of others of the same kind.

a gigantic sports stadium

colossal applies especially to a human creation of stupendous or incredible dimensions.

a colossal statue of Lincoln

mammoth suggests both hugeness and ponderousness of bulk.

a mammoth boulder

Examples of immense in a Sentence

He inherited an immense fortune.

She is an artist of immense talent.

Recent Examples on the Web

Cracker Barrel has issued a statement following the immense backlash received over company rebranding. —Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 26 Aug. 2025

At the time, the brutal scene was met with immense backlash, especially since the scene isn't a scenario in the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, which the series is based on. —Mekishana Pierre Published, EW.com, 25 Aug. 2025

An Ohio State team that lost two regular-season games and faced immense pressure following another loss to Michigan ended up beating a record six of the final AP top 10, including the other four in the top five. —Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025

Written by Hall, Johnny Clawson and Clara Park, this new song is an immense outing from this promising newcomer. —Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 25 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin immensus immeasurable, from in- + mensus, past participle of metiri to measure — more at measure

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for immense

• commence
• condense
• defence
• defense
• dispense
• expense
• fourpence
• halfpence
• incense
• intense
• missense
• offence

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Kids Definition

immense

adjective

im·​mense im-ˈen(t)s 

: very great in size or amount

especially : not capable of being measured by ordinary means

the immense universe

immensely adverb

immenseness noun

Etymology

from early French immense "immense, huge," from Latin immensus "boundless, too great to be measured," from im-, in- "not" and mensus, past participle of metiri "to measure" — related to dimension, measure