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
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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Living Large: Synonyms for "Big"
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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.
"In that time, through those 12 years, I went through a huge process of transformation, through a tremendous amount of suffering, mentally, emotionally, physically," he said.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
“This was a tremendous burden, a tremendous cost,” said Trump, surrounded by executives from supermarket chains including Kroger, Fairway, Neimann Foods and Piggly Wiggly.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
“We have a very substantial standard on AI, it’s causing — it’s causing tremendous good, and it’s also bringing in a lot of jobs, tremendous numbers of jobs,” he added.
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
“We are convinced that the flexibility and resiliency of our off-price business model will continue to be a tremendous advantage,” said Chief Executive Ernie Herrman.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
“It’s also a tremendous privilege, to be a full-time parent. Not all mothers or fathers get the chance to do this.”
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
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.
