immensity
Americannoun
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vastness; enormous extent.
the immensity of the Roman empire.
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the state or condition of being immense.
noun
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the state or quality of being immense; vastness; enormity
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enormous expanse, distance, or volume
the immensity of space
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informal a huge amount
an immensity of wealth
Etymology
Origin of immensity
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Latin word immēnsitās. See immense, -ity
Explanation
Immensity is hugeness. When something is so large or numerous you can hardly believe it, it has the quality of immensity.. Something enormous is immense, and the quality of being immense is immensity. This is a strong word for truly gigantic things and creatures. You might, for example, comment on the immensity of the Grand Canyon, or the immensity of the night sky as seen from a boat on the sea. The noun immensity comes from the Latin word immensitatem, "immeasurableness." In other words, if it's too big to be measured, it has the quality of immensity.
Vocabulary lists containing immensity
"Your World," Vocabulary from the poem
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The Distance Between Us
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Selected Short Stories of Flannery O'Connor
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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.
If, at times, the narrative structure sags and the character portraits blur, it’s in service to the immensity of hope and defiance extinguished by the airstrike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
The life of a music director at a major opera company is inevitably one engaged in tragedy, and Conlon exhibits the dramatic flair to grip its emotional immensity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
It’s presented a quiet challenge among the parents in the immensity of this moment: How do you talk to a second grader about what’s unfolding around them?
From Salon ● Jan. 29, 2026
"We kept it so cool to the end. We had the confidence, we know we've done so many hard miles in training. The immensity of it hasn't caught up with me yet."
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2024
Since waking, he’d traveled nine hours without thinking of rest once, but now the stunning immensity of the distance ahead drained what was left of his energy.
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
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.
