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." Immense is also used, however, 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 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

• astronomical
• astronomic
• Brobdingnagian
• bumper
• colossal
• cosmic
• cosmical
• cyclopean
• elephantine
• enormous
• galactic
• gargantuan
• giant
• gigantesque
• gigantic
• grand
• herculean
• heroic
• heroical
• Himalayan
• huge
• humongous
• humungous
• jumbo
• king-size
• king-sized
• leviathan
• mammoth
• massive
• mega
• mighty
• monster
• monstrous
• monumental
• mountainous
• oceanic
• pharaonic
• planetary
• prodigious
• super
• super-duper
• supersize
• supersized
• titanic
• tremendous
• vast
• vasty
• walloping
• whacking
• whopping

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

Animal shelters and rescues are already at critical mass and have been for years, and kitten season adds immense strain on existing organizations and resources. —USA TODAY, 27 Apr. 2024

Despite her immense success, the 2023 McDonald’s All-American still remains humble. —Toby Adeyemi, Essence, 26 Apr. 2024

From afar, at night, in the mist, the light transformed the fortress into an immense cauldron steaming with pale smoke. —CBS News, 26 Apr. 2024

Advertisement Critics say the skyrocketing demand for the drugs has exposed the cracks in the body positivity movement, showing that there is still immense pressure to look thin at whatever cost. —Andrea Chang, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024

When the roller rink was announced in March, it was met with immense curiosity. —Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 24 Apr. 2024

Going for the gold The scale of the Paris Games is immense: nearly 40 sports and more than 300 events hosted in at least 35 venues in Paris and other cities across metropolitan France. —Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 17 Apr. 2024

Boswell defeated Hebron 49-44 and Eastwood 47-40 to reach the regional final, where South Grand Prairie secured a 59-44 victory with the help of an immense size advantage. —Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Apr. 2024

How did Iran attack Israel? More than 300 projectiles – including around 170 drones and over 120 ballistic missiles – were fired toward Israel in the immense aerial attack overnight. —Rob Picheta, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024

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

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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