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
Related Words
See huge.
Other Word Forms
- tremendously adverb
- tremendousness noun
- untremendous adjective
- untremendousness noun
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
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.
Across income levels, four years of college comes at a tremendous expense relative to most families’ earnings, even after factoring in financial aid.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026
But Paul showed tremendous resilience to put out that fire and hold, and then broke Burruchaga in the next game to square the match at 5-5.
From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026
Richardson acknowledges the tremendous breakthroughs in myeloma care and is highly appreciative of them.
From Slate • Mar. 29, 2026
“My mom, she was in tremendous pain,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
So, no matter how we are treated in the world, know that our forebearers are people of tremendous bravery and courage.”
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Definitions 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.
