stupendous

[ stoo-pen-duhs, styoo- ]

/ stuˈpɛn dəs, styu- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stupendous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

causing amazement; astounding; marvelous: stupendous news.

amazingly large or great; immense: a stupendous mass of information.

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Nearby words

Origin of stupendous

1965–70; < Latin stupendus, gerund of stupēre to be stunned; see -ous

SYNONYMS FOR stupendous

1. extraordinary. 2. colossal, vast, gigantic, prodigious.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stupendous ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsstu·pen·dous·ly, adverbstu·pen·dous·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for stupendous

The film is stupendous art, but it owes much to a priceless piece of document.
The ‘12 Years a Slave’ Book Shows Slavery As Even More Appalling Than In the Film|Jimmy So|October 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
On that stupendous pile, he paid a tax rate which struck people as absurdly low.
Is Demography Destiny?|Megan McArdle|November 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It was to protect this stupendous asset that the South went to war.
David's Book Club 1861: The Civil War Awakening|David Frum|February 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The question remains: can you call yourself a success if results are respectable rather than stupendous.
Your Week: What the Stars Predict|Starsky + Cox|August 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Two disparate articles leading to one stupendous solution to our national debt problem.
How to Make a $50 Bill Worth Millions|Barry Levinson|March 30, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The control of this stupendous community resource entails grave responsibilities.
Proceedings of the Second National Conservation Congress|Various
A man in his position possesses opportunities for evil so stupendous that as I read the warning I sat aghast.
In Kings' Byways|Stanley J. Weyman
Whitney's notable invention of the cotton gin in 1793 had given a stupendous impetus to cotton growing in the Southern States.
History of the Great American Fortunes, Vol. I|Myers Gustavus
But all through the night I saw him again, and marvelled at the stupendous absurdity of such a death.
The Passionate Friends|Herbert George Wells
Compared with these stupendous figures, 6,000 years of our planet sink into nothingness.
Sermons Preached at Brighton|Frederick W. Robertson

British Dictionary definitions for stupendous

stupendous

/ (stjuːˈpɛndəs) /

adjective

astounding, wonderful, huge, etc

Derived Formsstupendously, adverbstupendousness, noun

Word Origin for stupendous

C17: from Latin stupēre to be amazed

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for stupendous

stupendous

adj.

1660s, earlier stupendious (1540s), from Late Latin stupendus "to be wondered at," gerundive form of Latin stupere "be stunned, be struck senseless" (see stupid).