immense
adjective
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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 for something which is so tremendously big 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
- astronomical
- astronomic
- Brobdingnagian
- bumper
- colossal
- cosmic
- cosmical
- cyclopean
- elephantine
- enormous
- galactic
- gargantuan
- giant
- gigantesque
- gigantic
- grand
- herculean
- heroic
- heroical
- Himalayan
- huge
- humongous
- humungous
- jumbo
- king-size
- king-sized
- leviathan
- mammoth
- massive
- mega
- mighty
- monster
- monstrous
- monumental
- mountainous
- oceanic
- pharaonic
- planetary
- prodigious
- super
- super-duper
- supersize
- supersized
- titanic
- tremendous
- vast
- vasty
- walloping
- whacking
- whopping
Examples of immense in a Sentence
Rob Picheta, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
However, this is a perilous task that demands immense effort.
—Doc Louallen, ABC News, 12 Apr. 2024
Its military, while rapidly modernizing, is untested and would be taking an immense risk by confronting a U.S.-led alliance.
—Olivia Wang, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Despite the challenges, our bookstore has brought immense joy, and we’ve been determined not to become another headline of controversy.
—Jasmine Browley, Essence, 12 Apr. 2024
Most of the eastern U.S. continued to face threats of severe weather Thursday afternoon as a deadly storm system that inflicted immense damage across the Gulf Coast headed north, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and possible tornadoes to the Southeast, mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes regions.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
This is important because generative AI can bring immense improvements in efficiency, productivity, and customer service–but only when enterprises can be sure their generative AI apps provide reliable and accurate information.
—Sridhar Ramaswamy, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024
The First Movers Coalition, an organization of more than 90 companies, has an initiative announced in 2021 to create greater demand for low-carbon cement through their immense buying power.
—Isabella O'Malley, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024
Given the immense demand, facility operators can pick and choose their clients, opting not to admit people with serious comorbid medical needs or a criminal justice history.
—Alex Barnard, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'immense.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Immense.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immense. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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immense
adjective
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