immense

adjective

im·​mense i-ˈmen(t)s 

1

: marked by greatness especially in size, amount, or degree

an immense lake

immense wealth/power

immense talent

an immense relief

especially : transcending ordinary means of measurement

the immense universe

2

: supremely good

… his reading has been immense, his grasp is masterly …

—H. Latimer Jackson

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 of immense

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

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

Former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who retains immense power over the government and ministry, said Thailand was intent on drawing the Cambodian side into conflict to destroy the July ceasefire. —Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2025

The robot’s movement is brought to life by 31 degrees of freedom (DOF) and immense power, including a 360 N·m joint torque. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Dec. 2025

This week on The Sunday Story, NPR immigration correspondent Jasmine Garsd, reporting for the Code Switch podcast, takes us into the lives of the immigrant families who are facing immense pressure in the United States. —December 7, NPR, 7 Dec. 2025

The appetite for the follow-up has been immense, and Ghost of Yotei, a standalone sequel, does not disappoint. —Richard Newby, Time, 6 Dec. 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