cavernous

adjective

cav·​ern·​ous ˈka-vər-nəs How to pronounce cavernous (audio)
1
a
: having caverns or cavities
b
of animal tissue : composed largely of vascular sinuses and capable of dilating with blood to bring about the erection of a body part
2
: constituting or suggesting a cavern
a cavernous warehouse
cavernously adverb

Examples of cavernous in a Sentence

We toured the cavernous airplane hangar. The dance was held in a cavernous hall.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
On this night in 2023, however, the cavernous five-story building was filled with bearded, flannel-wearing, middle-aged former punks, most of whom came to see Nineties punk titans Unwound play a reunion for the 20th birthday of the archival record label Numero Group. David Hill, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2025 One rare disease of particular interest for my lab is cerebral cavernous malformation, or CCM. Richard J. Price, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025 Local leaders sought the increase largely to finance expansion of an already cavernous waterfront convention center in hopes of attracting more and larger conventions and trade shows. Dan Walters, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025 In the final minutes, about 5,000 Iowa fans remained in cavernous Camp Randall Stadium, celebrating the Hawkeyes’ fourth straight series win. Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cavernous

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin cavernōsus "having hollows or depressions," from caverna "hollow space, cavern entry 1" + -ōsus -ous

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of cavernous was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cavernous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cavernous. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

cavernous

adjective
cav·​ern·​ous ˈkav-ər-nəs How to pronounce cavernous (audio)
1
: having caverns or cavities
2
: resembling a cavern in being large and hollow
3
: composed largely of spaces capable of filling with blood to bring about the enlargement of a body part
cavernously adverb

Medical Definition

cavernous

adjective
cav·​ern·​ous ˈkav-ər-nəs How to pronounce cavernous (audio)
1
: having caverns or cavities
2
of tissue : composed largely of vascular sinuses and capable of dilating with blood to bring about the erection of a body part

More from Merriam-Webster on cavernous

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