immense

immense
adjective
im·;mense i-;men(t)s
Synonyms of immense
1
: marked by greatness especially in size or degree
especially : transcending ordinary means of measurement
the immense universe
2
: supremely good
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
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
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These developments highlight a system under immense strain, where structural funding gaps and political decisions have compounded the financial and operational challenges of universities.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
Despite the immense cost and casualties of Putin’s war in Ukraine, his grip on his country remains firm, Vega comments.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 1 Dec. 2024
His approach reflects an immense amount of discipline – whether that stems from his days in the Scouts and the Merchant Navy or his mother instilling a love of sewing in him – he very clearly, and intentionally thinks about his purchases.
—Caroline Reilly, Robb Report, 29 Nov. 2024
The gains for the world’s richest have already been immense.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2024