tremendous
Americanadjective
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extraordinarily great in size, amount, or intensity.
a tremendous ocean liner; tremendous talent.
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extraordinary in excellence.
a tremendous movie.
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dreadful or awful, as in character or effect; exciting fear; frightening; terrifying.
adjective
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vast; huge
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informal very exciting or unusual
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informal (intensifier)
a tremendous help
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archaic terrible or dreadful
Synonym Usage
See huge.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tremendous
First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin tremendus “dreadful, to be shaken by,” equivalent to trem(ere) “to shake, quake” + -endus gerund suffix
Explanation
Tremendous means extraordinarily large in size, extent, amount, power, or degree. It can also mean really marvelous and fantastic — or really awful and terrible. We often use tremendous if something is super wonderful. If someone comes into your office and tells you you just won a big contract and are getting a huge bonus, you might exclaim, “Tremendous!” Tremendous comes from the Latin for "trembling," and is connected with fear. Something tremendous can be big in a terrifying way, like the tremendous noise of an approaching hurricane, or a tremendous tidal wave about to crash on the shore.
Vocabulary lists containing tremendous
Bud, Not Buddy
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The Launch of Sputnik 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I’d feel tremendous pressure to stop interviewing and reporting on politicians.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Such changes can occur when an asteroid strikes at tremendous speed, generating powerful shock waves that pass through the surrounding rock.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
Luka Vuskovic looks to be a tremendous acquisition from Tottenham Hotspur, and he has helped the Seagulls, who remain unbeaten at home, record a league-high five clean sheets.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
Jean-Guy Africa, CEO of the Rwanda Development Board, pointed to the "tremendous interest" from the private sector.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
But landing a man on the moon raised a tremendous number of questions.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
