adjective
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unusually large; huge; vast
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without limits; immeasurable
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informal very good; excellent
Synonym Usage
See huge.
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
Meanwhile, the scallop and soup examples I mentioned above came, respectively, from Ed Yong’s “An Immense World,” about animal perception, and Sam Kean’s “The Disappearing Spoon”—of which I have completed 87% so far.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
Immense leverage built up, and a note published by Goldman Sachs’ Lina Thomas on Monday identified a rise in call option demand to all-time highs.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026
"Immense pride seeing the rocket reach 100% fuel load last night, especially knowing how challenging the scenario was for our launch team doing the dangerous and unforgiving work," said team commander Reid Wiseman on X.
From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026
I just listened to an amazing one, “An Immense World,” by Ed Yong, about how animals kind of perceive the world.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2023
Immense blocks of black basalt, each as large as a crofter's cottage, lay scattered and tumbled like a child's wooden blocks, half-sunk in the soft boggy soil.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
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.
