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
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
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.
As material falls toward the black hole, tremendous amounts of energy can be released, making quasars visible across immense distances.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
“This is a tremendous win for Camarillo,” City Manager Greg Ramirez said in a statement about the ruling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
"We're going to have a tremendous celebration. I think I'm going to come over and I'm going to see it and watch. It'll be something very, very special."
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
“They’re under tremendous pressure from the blockade and the new sanctions.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
In Egypt, a towering colossus, immobile, beyond the power of the imagination to endow with movement, as fixed in the stone as the tremendous temple columns, a representation of the human shape deliberately made unhuman.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
