immense
ih-MEHNS
Immense (adj) means Extremely large in size, degree, or amount. Example: “The cathedral has an immense dome that you can see from miles away.”
adj
1
Extremely large in size, degree, or amount.
"The cathedral has an immense dome that you can see from miles away."
"The company made an immense profit last quarter."
"She felt immense relief when the test results came back clear."
How to use immense
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishHuge — extremely large in size, amount, or degree.
Common pairings
immense pressure
immense relief
immense pride
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Word forms
- Plural
- immenses
- Comparative
- immenser
- Superlative
- immensest
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The cathedral has an _____ dome that you can see from miles away.
Etymology
From Latin immensus, meaning "unmeasured" or "too large to measure," from in- ("not") plus mensus ("measured").
Synonyms
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Related words
Rhymes for immense
See all rhymes for immense →Frequently asked questions
What does “immense” mean?
The word “immense” means extremely large in size, degree, or amount. In plain terms, huge — extremely large in size, amount, or degree.
How do you pronounce “immense”?
“Immense” is pronounced ih-MEHNS (/ɪˈmɛns/ in IPA).
How do you use “immense” in a sentence?
Here is “immense” used in a sentence: “The company made an immense profit last quarter.”
What part of speech is “immense”?
“Immense” is an adjective.
Where does the word “immense” come from?
The word “immense” comes from Latin. From Latin immensus, meaning "unmeasured" or "too large to measure," from in- ("not") plus mensus ("measured").
Is “immense” a common word?
“Immense” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the C1 level.
What is the difference between "immense" and "enormous"?
Both describe something extremely large and are often interchangeable. "Immense" can suggest a vastness that is hard to measure or take in and works well with abstract nouns like "immense pressure," while "enormous" tends to stress sheer physical size.
What is the difference between "immense" and "huge"?
"Immense" and "huge" both mean extremely large, but "huge" is more informal and everyday, while "immense" sounds more formal and emphatic. "Immense" is also readily used for degree or amount, not just physical size.
Can "immense" describe things that are not physical?
Yes. Besides physical size, "immense" applies to degree or amount, so you can speak of "immense value," "immense pressure," or "immense pleasure." In these uses it means very great rather than physically large.
What nouns commonly follow "immense"?
"Immense" often pairs with abstract nouns such as pressure, value, wealth, power, effort, and pleasure, as well as concrete nouns like an immense building or an immense crowd. In each case it signals something extremely large in size, degree, or amount.
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