tremendous
Americanadjective
-
extraordinarily great in size, amount, or intensity.
a tremendous ocean liner; tremendous talent.
-
extraordinary in excellence.
a tremendous movie.
-
dreadful or awful, as in character or effect; exciting fear; frightening; terrifying.
adjective
-
vast; huge
-
informal very exciting or unusual
-
informal (intensifier)
a tremendous help
-
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
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Living Large: Synonyms for "Big"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Launch of Sputnik 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
A potential failure of a highly-levered trading firm could have tremendous impact on bank balance sheets, the analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
“The officials are tremendous and dedicated trying to do a good job.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026
Trump has lauded Bondi for doing a "tremendous job", and Blanche denied reports that his predecessor's handling of the Epstein files had been a factor in her departure.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
Although the technology remains in its infancy, there has been tremendous technical progress over the past year alone.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
Although he had been an excellent student, college had been a tremendous social test.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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.
