cavernous

adjective

cav·​ern·​ous ˈka-vər-nəs 

1

a

: having caverns or cavities

b

of animal tissue : composed largely of vascular sinuses and capable of dilating with blood to bring about the erection of a body part

2

: constituting or suggesting a cavern

a cavernous warehouse

cavernously adverb

Examples of cavernous in a Sentence

We toured the cavernous airplane hangar.

The dance was held in a cavernous hall.

Recent Examples on the Web

If so, Have We Met is the warehouse metropolis of Synecdoche, New York: cavernous and self-referential, teeming yet desolate, with the threat of a fire around any corner. —Pitchfork, 1 Oct. 2024

Inside the chic and dimly lit cavernous 11 Rue De La Banque in Paris, dramatic drippy candles lined the walls as champagne and canapés were passed. —Kristen Bateman, Vogue, 27 Sep. 2024

The skyscraper-like corn is a part of rural America as much as cavernous red barns and placid cows. —Erin Prater, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2024

McQueen screened the film for me on a big screen in one of the screening rooms in Warner Bros’ cavernous post-production complex that recently opened in Soho. —Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin cavernōsus "having hollows or depressions," from caverna "hollow space, cavern entry 1" + -ōsus -ous

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

cavernous

adjective

cav·​ern·​ous ˈkav-ər-nəs 

1

: having caverns or cavities

2

: resembling a cavern in being large and hollow

3

: composed largely of spaces capable of filling with blood to bring about the enlargement of a body part

cavernously adverb

Medical Definition

cavernous

adjective

cav·​ern·​ous ˈkav-ər-nəs 

1

: having caverns or cavities

2

of tissue : composed largely of vascular sinuses and capable of dilating with blood to bring about the erection of a body part