adjective
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unusually large; huge; vast
-
without limits; immeasurable
-
informal very good; excellent
Synonym Usage
See huge.
Other Word 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.
The business opportunity surrounding humanoids is expected to be immense, with some experts estimating a multitrillion-dollar market by 2050.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
“Controlling something more capable and more intelligent than all of humanity is already an immense challenge,” he asserted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
"This is a moment of immense pride for all of us at Dr. Reddy's," said Deepak Sapra, CEO of Pharmaceutical Services and API at Dr. Reddy's, in a statement.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
“The environment became significantly more challenging, particularly in the third quarter. Our measures are having an effect, but given the immense competitive pressure, we must intensify them.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Cluny mentally estimated the walls to be of immense thickness as he and Redtooth, ducking their heads, emerged from the tunnel-like arch into the Abbey grounds, where Constance and Matthias were waiting in the sunlight.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
