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immense

C1
adjective

Pronunciation

UK

  • /ɪmˈɛns/

US

  • /ˌɪˈmɛns/

Description

When something is immense, it's not just big, it's extremely large and hard to take in all at once. Think of the power of a hurricane or the size of space. It goes beyond being simply large and can feel almost endless.

You might describe an ocean as immense, or the amount of effort needed for a difficult task. Sometimes "immense" is also used for feelings, like immense joy or immense sadness. If you've ever stood at the foot of a mountain range, you've likely felt small beside its immense scale. It comes from the Latin word immensus, meaning "unmeasured."

Examples

  1. 1

    Visual size

    From the boat, the glacier looked immense.

  2. 2

    Time spent

    We spent an immense amount of time fixing a problem that turned out to be very small.

    • Pattern

      an immense amount of + noun

      a very large amount of it

  3. 3

    Work pressure

    Young doctors often work under immense pressure.

    • Phrase

      under immense pressure

      in a very stressful situation

  4. 4

    Patience

    She has shown immense patience with her students.

  5. 5

    Public support

    There was immense public support for the new law.

  6. 6

    Public health

    Clean water is of immense importance to public health.

    • Pattern

      of immense importance to + person/thing

      extremely important for them/it

Forms and spellings

1 form open this card.

Main spelling

  • immenseadjective