cavernous

[ kav-er-nuh s ]

/ ˈkæv ər nəs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cavernous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

being, resembling, or suggestive of a cavern: a vast, cavernous room.

deep-set: cavernous eyes.

hollow and deep-sounding: a cavernous voice.

containing caverns.

full of small cavities; porous.

Nearby words

Origin of cavernous

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Latin word cavernōsus. See cavern, -ous

Related formscav·ern·ous·ly, adverbin·ter·cav·ern·ous, adjectiveun·cav·ern·ous, adjectiveun·cav·ern·ous·ly, adverb

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

Examples from the Web for cavernous

Gathered in a cavernous underground hotel ballroom in Washington D.C., all the young people were serious and well dressed.
Why The Values Voter Summit Isn't Any Fun|Ben Jacobs|September 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Everyone inside the cavernous O2 arena in East London knew exactly what his complaint would be: This was a Dead Parrot.
Monty Python Forgot Their Lines on Opening Night, but Who Cares?|Nico Hines|July 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Set in a cavernous industrial-style warehouse, Psycle HQ feels like a club you want to be a part of.
London’s Own Badass SoulCycle|Emma Woolf|March 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Above the matted hair that concealed the jaws and cheeks, blue eyes stared out of cavernous sockets.
Three Great Men Died That Day: JFK, C.S. Lewis, and Aldous Huxley|John Garth|November 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST

In 1971, a team of Soviet scientists was drilling at the site when their rig collapsed into a cavernous pocket of natural gas.
A Fiery Pit Rages in the Turkmenistan Desert|Nina Strochlic|August 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
On witnessing the signal, Oswald quickly mounts the tree, and disappears in its cavernous recesses.
The Last of the Vikings|John Bowling
Both looked down into the cavernous tube that he indicated, and both started back in surprise and fear.
ZigZag Journeys in Northern Lands;|Hezekiah Butterworth
The cavernous seats of the lounge were all occupied, but he did not pause as he strode through the hall.
The Valiants of Virginia|Hallie Erminie Rives
But what variety there is to be found in those swelling, lengthened, flattened, or cavernous forms!
Paul and Virginia|Bernardin de Saint Pierre
"Don't touch me, Georgie," he muttered, and the voice sounded unequal and cavernous.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume III (of 3)|Charles James Wills

British Dictionary definitions for cavernous

cavernous

/ (ˈkævənəs) /

adjective

suggestive of a cavern in vastness, darkness, etccavernous hungry eyes

filled with small cavities; porous

(of rocks) containing caverns or cavities

Derived Formscavernously, adverb

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 cavernous

cavernous

adj.

c.1400, "full of caverns," from Latin cavernosus "full of cavities" (source also of Italian cavernoso, French caverneux), from caverna (see cavern). Meaning "hollow" is recorded from 1830.

cavernous

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of cavernous

Examples from the Web for cavernous

British Dictionary definitions for cavernous

cavernous

adjective

Word Origin and History for cavernous

cavernous

Medicine definitions for cavernous

cavernous

adj.