enormous

adjective

i-ˈnȯr-məs How to pronounce enormous (audio)
Definition of enormousnext
as in huge
unusually large that pumpkin is so enormous that it has to be a record holder

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word enormous distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of enormous are colossal, gigantic, huge, immense, mammoth, and vast. While all these words 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

When would colossal be a good substitute for enormous?

While in some cases nearly identical to enormous, colossal applies especially to a human creation of stupendous or incredible dimensions.

a colossal statue of Lincoln

Where would gigantic be a reasonable alternative to enormous?

The synonyms gigantic and enormous are sometimes interchangeable, but gigantic stresses the contrast with the size of others of the same kind.

a gigantic sports stadium

When could huge be used to replace enormous?

While the synonyms huge and enormous are close in meaning, huge commonly suggests an immensity of bulk or amount.

incurred a huge debt

When might mammoth be a better fit than enormous?

Although the words mammoth and enormous have much in common, mammoth suggests both hugeness and ponderousness of bulk.

a mammoth boulder

When can vast be used instead of enormous?

In some situations, the words vast and enormous are roughly equivalent. However, vast usually suggests immensity of extent.

the vast Russian steppes

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of enormous Throughout history, cities such as Rome have experienced enormous drops in population. —Camila Alvayay Torrejon, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2025 Nine people are budgeted at DMS to oversee Florida’s enormous fleet. —Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2025 Eviction also disrupts the enormous efforts of Maryland health care providers to help increase housing stability across the state, which ranks in the top 10 for housing unaffordability. —Rishi Manchanda, Baltimore Sun, 6 Mar. 2025 The member states share an enormous amount of classified information. —Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for enormous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enormous
  1. huge
  2. vast
  3. tremendous
  4. gigantic
  5. massive
  6. giant
  7. immense
  8. colossal
Adjective
  • Watching this film will be huge, and then Coach getting on our (butts) will be big for us.
    — Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2025
  • The Atlanta Braves suffered a huge hit to the roster last season when their ace Spencer Strider went down with a torn UCL.
    — Mark Davis, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of huge
Adjective
  • Splurge venues are everywhere and then some, proliferating like the Blob, devouring a vast share of the city’s dining dollars with their multicourse food-and-wine orgies comprised of reductions and espumas and tweezered microgreens.
    — Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2025
  • The two lone wolves traverse a wasteland of vast canyons, derelict cityscapes and blazing oil fields, digitally rendered on blue screens.
    — J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 7 Mar. 2025
Definition of vast
Adjective
  • The sacrifice of allowing the home team to have a tremendous advantage in the NCAA Tournament is worth it in favor of a crowd that may actually be decent.
    — Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Mar. 2025
  • One of the biggest questions in front of leaders—amid tremendous investment—is how to get meaningful value out of AI.
    — Dan Adika, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of tremendous
Adjective
  • Acoustic Sounds occupies a hodgepodge of squat industrial buildings in Salina, a city of about 50,000 near the geographic center of the 48 contiguous states, where grain elevators and a gigantic frozen pizza plant jut out from the flat plains landscape.
    — Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 7 Mar. 2025
  • Some knobby with new growth, some short or gigantic, some suffering or shrunken, some reaching over paths and roads.
    — Hazlitt, Hazlitt, 5 Mar. 2025
Definition of gigantic
Adjective
  • Paying the high acquisition cost to get him would be a massive risk.
    — Peter Baugh, The Athletic, 6 Mar. 2025
  • Additionally, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon each signed separate nuclear energy agreements late last year in anticipation of the massive energy demands of their AI plans.
    — Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 5 Mar. 2025
Definition of massive
Adjective
  • She’s accompanied by Cosmo, a robot with a giant cartoon head and the soulful eyes of someone—or something—that might be more than just a machine.
    — Tony Bradley, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The surviving robots, meanwhile, got sent to a giant prison colony somewhere in the deserts of the American Southwest.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of giant
Adjective
  • As spring arrives and the weather warms, exposure to sunlight could have an immense impact on overall health.
    — Angelica Stabile, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Pregnancy puts immense stress on the core, and Pilates can be a great way to keep your core strong throughout pregnancy and postpartum.4 How to Get Started in Pilates Get started in Pilates by joining a class at a local gym or Pilates studio.
    — Sohaib Imtiaz, Verywell Health, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of immense
Adjective
  • Lunar Client debuted in April 2019 and struggled financially in its early days, but the company remained self-funded, with founders often going unpaid, before the platform’s popularity gained colossal momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    — Matt Gardner, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
  • The colossal storm will put over 100 million people at risk of severe weather, from blizzard conditions in the northern Plains to tornadoes and wildfires in the South.
    — Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of colossal

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Cite this Entry

“Enormous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enormous. Accessed 20 Mar. 2025.

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