cavernous

adjective

cav·​ern·​ous ˈka-vər-nəs 

1

a

: having caverns or cavities

b

of animal tissue : composed largely of vascular sinuses and capable of dilating with blood to bring about the erection of a body part

2

: constituting or suggesting a cavern

a cavernous warehouse

cavernously adverb

Examples of cavernous in a Sentence

We toured the cavernous airplane hangar.

The dance was held in a cavernous hall.

Recent Examples on the Web

While repairs slowly progress, services are held in a cavernous, basement-level secondary space, lighted only by flickering candles and lanterns whenever the electricity goes out. —Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024

Some of the units within the original structure include cavernous circular rooms and soaring ceilings, and residence #9L, currently listed for $10.5 million, is among the building’s most spectacular units. —Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 15 Apr. 2024

The performance space—a cavernous Beaux-Arts gallery that McKim, Mead & White had originally designed for the Elks organization—was plunged into darkness. —Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024

The three-row van also drives like a car and has a cavernous interior for a large family or even a sizable youth team. —James Raia, The Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2024

An ideal location for a honeybee colony to nest is a cavernous body, about 4- to 9-gallon capacity, with a small defensible entrance. —Leah Taylor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024

Terri Lawson, who also worked there as a server, reminisced about the nights spent partying in the cavernous basement. —Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2024

More than simply cavernous rooms with angelic acoustics, old churches house hibernating spiritual energies. —Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 4 Apr. 2024

An adjacent wing is home to the cavernous Fiera restaurant that churns out pan-global dishes with ultramodern spins. —Mary Winston Nicklin, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin cavernōsus "having hollows or depressions," from caverna "hollow space, cavern entry 1" + -ōsus -ous

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

cavernous

adjective

cav·​ern·​ous ˈkav-ər-nəs 

1

: having caverns or cavities

2

: resembling a cavern in being large and hollow

3

: composed largely of spaces capable of filling with blood to bring about the enlargement of a body part

cavernously adverb

Medical Definition

cavernous

adjective

cav·​ern·​ous ˈkav-ər-nəs 

1

: having caverns or cavities

2

of tissue : composed largely of vascular sinuses and capable of dilating with blood to bring about the erection of a body part