Enormous Meaning
/ɪˈnɔː.məs/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjDeviating from the norm; unusual, extraordinary.
adjExceedingly wicked; atrocious or outrageous.
Sentence Examples
There was an enormous traffic jam in downtown Kyoto.
He claimed that the enormous property was at his disposal.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ elephant towered over the tiny car in the safari.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The skyscraper was so ____ that its top was often hidden in the clouds.
Word Origin & History
From Latin ēnormis. An assimilated form of ex- (“out of”) + norma (“rule, norm”) + -ous.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"how apt wee are to receive all impressions, and chiefly the most wicked and enormous."
— 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
"Men would prove wolves and vipers; tigers and dragons mixt in one and the same person to each other. O bless God for this great gift of Princes and Judges to rule the wicked and enormous world and to sway the scepter of righteousness […]"
— 1872, James Pillsbury Lane, Historical Sketches of the First Congregational Church, Bristol, R.I., 1689-1872, page 61:
"Protestant Christian people are largely ignorant or indifferent to the wicked and enormous religious claims of Romanism. As a so-called religious organization, Romanism is not only the foe of Protestantism, but […]"
— 1898, Christianity in Earnest, for Church Extension and Saloon Suppression, page 7:
"He turned back to the scene before him and the enormous new block of council dwellings. The design was some way after Corbusier but the block was built up on plinths and resembled an Atlantic liner swimming diagonally across the site."
— 1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
"Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state of Uttarakhand, have wrought disaster on an enormous scale. The early, intense onset of the monsoon on June 14th swelled rivers, washing away roads, bridges, hotels and even whole villages. Rock-filled torrents smashed vehicles and homes, burying victims under rubble and sludge."
— 2013 June 29, “High and wet”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 28:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ elephant towered over the tiny car in the safari.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The skyscraper was so ____ that its top was often hidden in the clouds.