capacious

[kuh-pey-shuhs]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR capacious ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

capable of holding much; spacious or roomy: a capacious storage bin.

Origin of capacious

First recorded in 1605–15; capaci(ty) + -ous

Related formsca·pa·cious·ly, adverbca·pa·cious·ness, nounun·ca·pa·cious, adjectiveun·ca·pa·cious·ly, adverbun·ca·pa·cious·ness, noun

Synonyms for capacious

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR capacious ON THESAURUS.COM

ample, large.

Antonyms for capacious

confining.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for capacious

Contemporary Examples of capacious

As we were getting ready to repair to his capacious table, we were joined by Claude Lanzmann, the maker of the film Shoah.
My Moments With Ariel Sharon
Seth Lipsky
January 11, 2014
Yet I doubt that she will become a capacious judge with wide-ranging interests and intense curiosity.
Elena Kagan's Surprise Defender
Richard A. Epstein
May 11, 2010
But George H.W. Bush is a man of capacious and unconditional love, so I imagine that carried him through the day.
How Hillary's Feeling About Caroline
Christopher Buckley
January 24, 2009

Historical Examples of capacious

If you thirst, we will cheerfully offer you the capacious goblet and the richest wines.
Imogen
William Godwin
Why should I cumber myself with regrets that the receiver is not capacious?
Essays, First Series
Ralph Waldo Emerson
The capacious lung, the thundering or the tender vocal chords.
Notes on My Books
Joseph Conrad
The symbol of festivity should be capacious, as well as prime in quality.
Cattle and Their Diseases
Robert Jennings
He shook the capacious fluttering folds and handed it to its owner.
In Apple-Blossom Time
Clara Louise Burnham

British Dictionary definitions for capacious

capacious

adjective

capable of holding much; roomy; spacious

Derived Formscapaciously, adverbcapaciousness, noun

Word Origin for capacious

C17: from Latin capāx, from Latin capere to take

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for capacious

adj.

1610s, "able to contain," from Latin capax (genitive capacis) "able to take in," from capere "to take" (see capable) + -ous. Meaning "able to hold much" is from 1630s. Related: Capaciously; capaciousness.