cavernous

adjective

cav·​ern·​ous ˈka-vər-nəs 

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

The game feels far away, and the sounds float up to the cavernous space below the roof where the noise dies. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Aug. 2026

The hundreds of thousands of AI servers that fill the cavernous halls of data centers from Virginia to Germany are a testament to the deep interdependence of the industry. — John Liu, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026

Driver was not at D23 in person, but instead joined via video from a cavernous film studio. — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 15 Aug. 2026

Players can peer over the sculpture’s steep cliffs and drop down into its cavernous valleys at their leisure, without the time and cost constraints of visiting the actual sculpture in person. — News Desk, Artforum, 14 Aug. 2026

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

Kids Definition

cavernous

adjective

cav·​ern·​ous ˈkav-ər-nəs 

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 

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