mountainous

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mountainous

/ˈmaʊn.tɪ.nəs/ UK
/ˈmaʊn.tɪ.nəs/ US
/ˈmaʊn.tə.nəs/ US
[ˈmæʊn.tn̩.əs] US
[-ʔn̩-] US
[ˈmæ̃ʊ̃(n)-] US
/ˈmaʊn.tɪ.nəs/ Canada
/ˈmaʊn.tə.nəs/ Canada
/ˈmæɔn.tɪ.nəs/ Australia
/ˈmæʊn.tə.nəs/ New Zealand

Where it comes from

From mountain + -ous after Middle French montagneux, from Late Latin montāniōsus, from montānia, from Latin montem (“mountain”).

adjective more mountainous · most mountainous

Having many mountains; characterized by mountains; of the nature of a mountain; rough (terrain); rocky. [Water vapour bubbles] hit againſt the ſides of the more eminent and Mountainous Places, of the Globe, and by this Concuſſion are condenſed, and thus become heavier than the Air they ſvvom in, and ſo gleet dovvn the rocky Caverns of theſe Mountains, […]
Resembling a mountain, especially in size; huge; towering. But the added size did not give them an advantage this time. Not when Kanter and Adams, two mountainous players, could match the Knicks’ girth with their own.
figuratively, of a problem or task Very difficult. As Brazil faced the mountainous task of completing an Olympic venue before the opening ceremony, Chinese netizens got busy molehilling a remark by a Rio construction manager about their China supplier.
obsolete Inhabiting mountains; hence, barbarous.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: upland, hilly, highland, cragged, large, craggy, big, rough, unsmooth, mountains, alpine, hill, montane, mountainside, mountain, tribal

Translations

Every language

adj having many mountains

Español	montañoso
中文	多山的 duōshān de
Português	montanhoso
Français	montagneux
Deutsch	bergig, gebirgig
Italiano	montagnoso, montuoso
Русский	гори́стый gorístyj
العربية	جَبَلِيّ jabaliyy

adj resembling a mountain

Русский	гороподо́бный goropodóbnyj

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MLA

"mountainous." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/mountainous. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

mountainous. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/mountainous

Chicago

"mountainous." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/mountainous.

BibTeX

@misc{mountainous_2026,
  title = {mountainous},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/mountainous},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}