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

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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" as something which is so tremendously big that it has not 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").

Examples of immense in a Sentence

He inherited an immense fortune. She is an artist of immense talent.

Recent Examples on the Web Freshman Andre Jackson showed flashes of the immense potential that drew UConn coaches to him. — Dom Amore, courant.com, "Unpacking the UConn men’s basketball season: Ups, downs, delays and a disappointing finish," 22 Mar. 2021 Headed for an introduction to a city that hopes Wentz recovers his confidence, realizes his immense potential and finally stops the revolving door at the quarterback position that started spinning the moment Andrew Luck decided to retire. — Joel A. Erickson, The Indianapolis Star, "Colts believe Carson Wentz can be the franchise QB they've been looking for," 19 Mar. 2021 As Rey Fenix continues to finally be used to his immense potential, Angelico is quietly becoming the new Rey Fenix circa 2020. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, "AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, News And Notes On March 17, 2021," 17 Mar. 2021 But the Colts drafted Jonathan Taylor in the second round in 2020, Mack tore his Achilles tendon in the season opener and Taylor fully realized his immense potential down the stretch, finishing third in the NFL in rushing with 1,169 yards. — Joel A. Erickson, The Indianapolis Star, "4 Colts who played key roles in Indy but likely won't return once NFL free agency begins," 14 Mar. 2021 Under immense public and political pressure, the governor’s office has asked the state attorney general, Letitia James, to appoint someone to conduct an outside investigation into the harassment claims. — Steven P. Dinkin, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Bystanders deepen woes of New York governor," 14 Mar. 2021 But immigration experts predict the lull won't last as President Joe Biden comes under immense pressure from the left to quickly unwind many of Trump's policies and Republicans line up to try to block the administration's earliest orders. — John Fritze, USA TODAY, "Immigration was a scorching topic at the Supreme Court last year. With Trump gone, that's changed.," 12 Mar. 2021 James Wiseman provided enough flashes of his immense potential for the Warriors to feel good about taking him with the second pick in November’s draft, and the second unit authored plenty of runs. — Connor Letourneau, SFChronicle.com, "Warriors’ supporting cast fails to help Steph Curry in loss to Nuggets," 14 Jan. 2021 Cyrus then discovered that the horses their farm-bred held immense potential for creating antibodies and serums for vaccines—something that could eventually be used for the mass market. — Manavi Kapur, Quartz India, "The 39-year-old Indian billionaire who bet big on Oxford’s Covid-19 vaccine," 26 Nov. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'immense.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.