adjective
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unusually large; huge; vast
-
without limits; immeasurable
-
informal very good; excellent
Synonym Usage
See huge.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of immense
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin immēnsus “huge, boundless, immeasurable,” equivalent to im- “un-” + mēnsus, past participle of mētīrī “to measure”; see im- 2
Explanation
Immense means very large in size, amount, or degree. You might describe the ocean as immense, or your homework load, or the slice of cake your brother took, leaving you a tiny sliver. This word has an immense number of near synonyms: huge, great, enormous, vast, gigantic, colossal, mammoth, copious, tremendous are a few of the more common ones. If you're having immense difficulty deciding which word to use, just plain "very big" might do.
Vocabulary lists containing immense
List 4
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"All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury
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myPerspectives 8.1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Rising Treasury yields are creating concerns about AI companies’ immense ambitions for debt-funded spending.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Simulating every possible step using quantum mechanics would require immense computing power, so researchers typically focus on a limited selection of reactions believed to be the most important.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
It takes immense skill for a great actor to convincingly play a novice performer.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
Review chair Prof Peter Fonagy said it was clear the system was "under immense strain" and it was time to get away from diagnosis being a "very narrow pathway" to finding support.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
“Burns was the first American to see the immense possibilities of the instrument in detective work,” the Literary Digest reported in 1912.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
