tremendous

[trih-men-duhs]

adjective

1. extraordinarily great in size, amount, or intensity.

   a tremendous ocean liner; tremendous talent.

2. extraordinary in excellence.

   a tremendous movie.

3. dreadful or awful, as in character or effect; exciting fear; frightening; terrifying.

tremendous

/ trɪˈmɛndəs /

adjective

1. vast; huge

2. informal,  very exciting or unusual

3. informal,  (intensifier)

   a tremendous help

4. archaic,  terrible or dreadful

Other Word Forms

• tremendously adverb
• tremendousness noun
• untremendous adjective
• untremendousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tremendous¹

First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin tremendus “dreadful, to be shaken by,” equivalent to trem(ere) “to shake, quake” + -endus gerund suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of tremendous¹

C17: from Latin tremendus terrible, literally: that is to be trembled at, from tremere to quake

Synonym Study

See huge.

Example Sentences

No one has been prosecuted in Ms Holdaway's case and she told the BBC the emotional and mental impact had been tremendous.

Read more on BBC

Mr. Loomis has sympathy for his subject, rightly observing that Jews of the era faced tremendous social and professional obstacles.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

There is tremendous stigma in seeking help, Pranom said, but she wants to pay it forward with gam-rang-jai — inner strength — to encourage others to reclaim their lives.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“The core question is how is Square positioned competitively and to deliver value for our customers, and we think that there is a tremendous runway for growth for Square,” she said.

Read more on MarketWatch

“The force buildup in countries like Egypt and Turkey is tremendous, and while we have peace with both at the moment, there is also growing tension, and Israel must prepare for contingencies.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• amazing 
• astounding 
• awesome 
• colossal 
• dreadful 
• enormous 
• excellent 
• exceptional 
• extraordinary 
• fabulous 
• fantastic 
• formidable 
• great 
• immense 
• incredible 
• marvelous 
• massive 
• monumental 
• prodigious 
• terrible