enormous
Americanadjective
-
greatly exceeding the common size, extent, etc.; huge; immense.
an enormous fortune.
- Synonyms:
- stupendous, prodigious, mammoth, gigantic, colossal, vast
-
outrageous or atrocious.
enormous wickedness; enormous crimes.
adjective
-
unusually large in size, extent, or degree; immense; vast
-
archaic extremely wicked; heinous
Synonym Usage
See huge.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of enormous
Explanation
When something is very, very, VERY big, it can be called enormous. “Good heavens, that pimple on your cheek is absolutely enormous; it covers half your face!” The word enormous contains within it, if you look closely, the root norm, as in normal. So what you’re saying when you call something enormous is that it’s beyond what is normal; you’re trying to convey a sense of exaggerated difference. You may also have heard the word ginormous, which people try to use as enormous with a dramatic flair. But, trust us: ginormous is not a good word; it’s just a blend of two words — gigantic and enormous.
Vocabulary lists containing enormous
Chains
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Living Large: Synonyms for "Big"
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 8
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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.
Another enormous en-suite guest room boasts its own fireplace, while two additional bedrooms located on the other side of the dwelling share their own private sitting room.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
Mexico arrives at the World Cup with enormous expectations and a lot of pressure as one of the tournament’s hosts.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
Looking to keep up that enormous success, “Cars 2” and “Cars 3” followed in 2011 and 2017, respectively.
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026
Data centers use water primarily for cooling their servers, which heat up quickly as they process enormous amounts of information.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
And for the first time in history, enormous steamships regularly crossing the world’s oceans outnumbered vessels propelled by sail.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
