enormous
adjective
Enormity vs. Enormousness: Usage Guide
The original meanings that enormity carried related to great wickedness, and some assert that enormity should today only be used with such meanings, and that enormousness is the proper word to use to mean "large size." Despite these claims, enormity frequently refers to large size, either literal or figurative, though it usually suggests something so large as to seem overwhelming.
Enormity can also refer to a shocking, evil, or immoral act
and it can also suggest both great size and deviation from morality.
New Republic
Enormity can also emphasize the momentousness of what has happened or of its consequences.
It's worth noting that enormousness formerly shared the disagreeable meanings that enormity still carries, but it now means merely "large size."
Synonyms of enormous
Examples of enormous in a Sentence
Big Think, 11 Feb. 2026
The performance gap between Chinese and US models, while not enormous, persists largely due to constraints on computing power and capital.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
The findings come from a close look at the HR 8799 system, a young, sun-like star about 133 light-years from Earth that hosts four enormous gas giants orbiting far from their parent star.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Sarah designed its six double rooms around one enormous inside-outside living space.
—Lisa Grainger, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for enormous
Cite this Entry
“Enormous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enormous. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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enormous
adjective
