Definition of enormousnext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word enormous distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of enormous are colossal, gigantic, huge, immense, mammoth, and vast. While all these words 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

When would colossal be a good substitute for enormous?

While in some cases nearly identical to enormous, colossal applies especially to a human creation of stupendous or incredible dimensions.

a colossal statue of Lincoln

Where would gigantic be a reasonable alternative to enormous?

The synonyms gigantic and enormous are sometimes interchangeable, but gigantic stresses the contrast with the size of others of the same kind.

a gigantic sports stadium

When could huge be used to replace enormous?

While the synonyms huge and enormous are close in meaning, huge commonly suggests an immensity of bulk or amount.

incurred a huge debt

When might mammoth be a better fit than enormous?

Although the words mammoth and enormous have much in common, mammoth suggests both hugeness and ponderousness of bulk.

a mammoth boulder

When can vast be used instead of enormous?

In some situations, the words vast and enormous are roughly equivalent. However, vast usually suggests immensity of extent.

the vast Russian steppes

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of enormous The programs are vying for a diaspora that is potentially enormous, yet only 1,213 people received citizenship through the four initiatives from 2019 through 2026, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026 Pictures show the enormous white superyacht docked in the marina, towering over its surroundings. Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026 That is an enormous volume of borrowing outside crisis times. Matt Peterson, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026 The cost of our avoidance of clozapine is invisible but enormous, measured in people who stay sick, and in lives that end early, for want of a drug already sitting on the shelf. Nitin Gogtay, STAT, 4 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for enormous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enormous
Adjective
  • The cast’s Blackness is a huge part of this — signifying is in their blood — but the impact spread across the whole franchise.
    Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026
  • That was a play with huge ramifications that, to some extent, still sticks with Williams.
    Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • This is especially stark in robotics, where the problem space is vast and failures play out in the physical world, but the lesson applies to any system that operates at scale.
    Shivansh Inamdar, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Much of this year's equity rally – as well as recent volatility – has been driven by investor enthusiasm around AI development, which has been reliant on vast amounts of capital, as well as optimism around earnings momentum.
    Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Decker had tremendous success at Old Dominion last season, and his quarterback Colton Joseph, now at Wisconsin, was the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year.
    Antonio Morales, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Her tremendous decision not to share every notification, though unseen by her children, quietly demonstrated her ability to move forward without asking permission from the past.
    Dr. Victor Fornari, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Robinson is more like the Carolina McCaffrey though, who was still gigantic.
    Michael Salfino, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The flavor is overwhelmingly oversized, proving that few things look as luxurious as swimming around in a gigantic khaki coat.
    Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 14 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Meta is deploying massive capital into AI infrastructure while establishing the Meta Superintelligence Labs.
    , CNBC, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The award-winning nonfiction feature Kikuyu Land documents a case of cultural erasure and land theft on a massive scale.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Invisible House, a new work by Zosha Di Castri, has the orchestra reveling in bright and jangly sounds like a giant Ukrainian folk band.
    Justin Davidson, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The filmmaker contrasts her bucolic nature scenes with shots of the giant ships passing by and the interiors and exteriors of the factories located near the island, belching smoke and lit up at night like a forbidding theme park.
    Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Most imposing of all is Luca Guadagnino’s Joie de Vivre, a documentary about Bernardo Bertolucci that clocks in at a colossal seven hours long.
    Nate Jones, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026
  • In the colossal yet claustrophobic world that Khrzhanovsky has created (or recreated), Russians are stuck between a rock and a hard place, between the hammer and the sickle.
    Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • After over four and a half years, Russia has been unable to convert its immense military sacrifices in Ukraine into meaningful military gains.
    MICHAEL KIMMAGE, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2026
  • His return to the Senate follows immense speculation, and conspiracy theories, about his health.
    David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 14 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Enormous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enormous. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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