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.
Fraser’s explosive performance underlines the immensity of the stakes, balancing every precarious element of this enormous mission.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
But in its immensity, its implacable absoluteness, is a certain confusion between means and ends.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025
"The immensity of this situation cannot be overstated," he said.
From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2025
Just a few months after the release of his gripping, gothic feature film debut “The Witch” in 2016, director Robert Eggers balked at the immensity of his next opportunity: a remake of F.W.
From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2024
“That guy’s dangerous. He just stole your Talent, so who knows what he ...” She trailed off with the immensity of it all.
From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff
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.
