adjective
-
suggestive of a cavern in vastness, darkness, etc
cavernous hungry eyes
-
filled with small cavities; porous
-
(of rocks) containing caverns or cavities
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cavernous
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Latin word cavernōsus. See cavern, -ous
Explanation
If something reminds you of a cave or cavern in size, shape, or feel, you can describe it with the adjective cavernous. Your cavernous basement is huge, damp, and dark, but fortunately there are no bats down there. Cavernous, "cavern," and "cave" all come from the same Latin root word cavus, meaning hollow. Anything that's vast or deep can be described as cavernous, like your favorite professor's cavernous knowledge about the subject of 17th century literature. As a medical or anatomical term, cavernous refers to something that is porous, particularly when it's filled with tiny blood vessels.
Vocabulary lists containing cavernous
Tuck Everlasting
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Esperanza Rising
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This Week in Words: August 21 - 25, 2017
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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.
Then Curry, undulating ever so slightly, delivers his first lines in a cavernous register, seated someplace between a purr and a growl.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
Rainbows of light stream through both transparent and stained-glass windows, illuminating the cavernous space.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Journalist George Stephanopoulos said it was "so personal and so intimate," despite venue's cavernous size.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
The warehouse has two cavernous freezers on the east and west sides of the building.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Chaol looked around the cavernous hall; in fact, most of the Champions’ sponsors went about as usual.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
Definitions 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.
