enormous

adjective

enor·​mous i-ˈnȯr-məs 

ē-

1

: marked by extraordinarily great size, number, or degree

especially : exceeding usual bounds or accepted notions

2

a

: exceedingly wicked : shocking

an enormous sin

b

archaic : abnormal, inordinate

enormousness noun

Synonyms

• astronomical
• astronomic
• Brobdingnagian
• bumper
• colossal
• cosmic
• cosmical
• cyclopean
• elephantine
• galactic
• gargantuan
• giant
• gigantesque
• gigantic
• grand
• herculean
• heroic
• heroical
• Himalayan
• huge
• humongous
• humungous
• immense
• jumbo
• king-size
• king-sized
• leviathan
• mammoth
• massive
• mega
• mighty
• monster
• monstrous
• monumental
• mountainous
• oceanic
• pharaonic
• planetary
• prodigious
• super
• super-duper
• supersize
• supersized
• titanic
• tremendous
• vast
• vasty
• walloping
• whacking
• whopping

Choose the Right Synonym for enormous

enormous, immense, huge, vast, gigantic, colossal, mammoth mean exceedingly large.

enormous and immense both suggest an exceeding of all ordinary bounds in size or amount or degree, but enormous often adds an implication of abnormality or monstrousness.

an enormous expense

an immense shopping mall

huge commonly suggests an immensity of bulk or amount.

incurred a huge debt

vast usually suggests immensity of extent.

the vast Russian steppes

gigantic stresses the contrast with the size of others of the same kind.

a gigantic sports stadium

colossal applies especially to a human creation of stupendous or incredible dimensions.

a colossal statue of Lincoln

mammoth suggests both hugeness and ponderousness of bulk.

a mammoth boulder

Examples of enormous in a Sentence

They live in an enormous house.

We chose not to undertake the project because of the enormous costs involved.

Recent Examples on the Web

The loss of Rodri to a season-ending knee injury has been an enormous factor, while Guardiola has pointed to the mental and physical demands placed on leading players by an increasingly punishing fixture schedule. —Oliver Kay, The Athletic, 20 Dec. 2024

Lyman, armed with an enormous iced coffee from Dunkin’, seemed to be in better spirits. —Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2024

Rumble has spent an enormous amount of money to get to this point. —Kyle Khan-Mullins, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024

How to keep investing FOMO from derailing your portfolio People can feel FOMO about any exciting investment, but crypto, with its enormous short-term gains and internet cool, can prove particularly alluring to curious investors, Nadler says. —Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin enormis, from e, ex out of + norma rule

First Known Use

1531, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Kids Definition

enormous

adjective

enor·​mous i-ˈnȯr-məs 

: extraordinarily great in size, number, or degree

enormously adverb

enormousness noun