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 That day, she was declared cancer-free — an enormous win. —Kristen Jordan Shamus, USA Today, 19 May 2025 President Donald Trump has an enormous opportunity to exercise world class leadership in this area, as American leaders did after World War II. —Robert Hormats, Time, 18 May 2025 Sometimes it will be received with enormous applause and sometimes it will be received not so well. —Rachel Handler, Vulture, 18 May 2025 This gives the American government enormous power over other countries while freeing it from the need to abide by international laws that most other countries follow. —Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 17 May 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
  • Okonkwo made a huge impression in north Wales and his move was made permanent last summer on a free transfer.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 28 May 2025
  • It's been a huge benefit for Dylan to take part in REACH — something he's done since the program got its start in 2019.
    — Jonaki Mehta, NPR, 27 May 2025
Definition of huge
Adjective
  • The High Plains also get plenty of love from Hill Country wineries—the Panhandle does, after all, produce the vast majority of the grapes grown in the state.
    — Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 18 May 2025
  • There are the vast arcs of the avenues, the great green slashes of parks and cemeteries, the jagged field of skyscrapers, steepled and spiked like iron filings pulled up toward the great magnet of the sky.
    — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 18 May 2025
Definition of vast
Adjective
  • The adaptation takes the game’s hugely engaging story and expands it for the screen, bringing tremendous performances, stunning effects, and impeccably shot action.
    — Barry Levitt, Time, 26 May 2025
  • Yet this pittance of revenue from those heliports comes with tremendous costs to New Yorkers.
    — Eric Katzman, New York Daily News, 25 May 2025
Definition of tremendous
Adjective
  • In the spring of 2022, Russian forces trapped a large group of Ukrainians inside a gigantic steel factory called Azovstal, in southern Ukraine.
    — Simon Shuster, Time, 16 May 2025
  • What all of these cases have in common is a truly gigantic deer, and then, sadly, lots of discord within the hunting community.
    — Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 15 May 2025
Definition of gigantic
Adjective
  • The massive undersea volcano reaches more than 3,600 feet above the seabed is located 300 miles offshore.
    — Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 17 May 2025
  • Boston has constructed massive leads in each game, often to begin them.
    — Fred Katz, New York Times, 16 May 2025
Definition of massive
Adjective
  • Richman sits behind two giant computer monitors atop an enormous desk that’s directly below an even bigger monitor displaying the rough cut.
    — Kelly Stout, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2025
  • For those sorts of people, the news that audio giant JBL has developed a new PartyBox 520 speaker will be music to their ears.
    — Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Definition of giant
Adjective
  • Despite being in immense pain and facing memory issues, Jase Robertson said his dad was keen to return to the Christianity podcast, which was first launched in 2019.
    — Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 25 May 2025
  • Despite her immense health challenges, Hind has refused to let her illness define her.
    — Toria Sheffield, People.com, 25 May 2025
Definition of immense
Adjective
  • Only five of the colossal machines have ever been shipped.
    — Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 22 May 2025
  • Here in this vast sandy landscape (also known as the Empty Quarter), colossal dunes create a breathtaking setting for stargazing — an activity that the resort can organize.
    — Natasha Amar, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
Definition of colossal

Browse Nearby Words

enormity
enormous
enormously
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Enormous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enormous. Accessed 31 May. 2025.

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