mountainous

adjective

moun·​tain·​ous ˈmau̇n-tə-nəs How to pronounce mountainous (audio)
ˈmau̇nt-nəs
1
: containing many mountains
2
: resembling a mountain : huge
mountainously adverb
mountainousness noun

Examples of mountainous in a Sentence

the seemingly mountainous obstacles he had to overcome while growing up
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.
Heavy rainfall to the east and northeast of the storm may occur in portions of northwestern Mexico, from the states of Colima to Sinaloa, the hurricane center said, with flash flooding possible, especially in areas of mountainous terrain. Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025 Dadu mountain lizards live in a mountainous river valley between elevations of 7,100 to 7,600 feet, the study said. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025 At the time of Sunday’s disaster, the Taliban government was using helicopters to rescue those affected by the quake, as the mountainous terrain and landslides triggered by the natural disaster made providing aid challenging. David Chiu, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025 Heavy rainfall east and northeast of the depression is expected to continue affecting parts of northwestern Mexico, from Colima to Sinaloa, on Wednesday, bringing the risk of isolated flash flooding in mountainous areas, according to the NHC. Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mountainous

Word History

Etymology

Middle English mounteynous, borrowed from Anglo-French muntaignus, from muntaigne, mountaigne mountain + -us -ous

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mountainous was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mountainous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mountainous. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

mountainous

adjective
moun·​tain·​ous ˈmau̇nt-ᵊn-əs How to pronounce mountainous (audio)
-nəs
1
: having many mountains
2
: resembling a mountain : huge

More from Merriam-Webster on mountainous

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