tremendous

[ trih-men-duhs ]

adjective

1. extraordinarily great in size, amount, or intensity:

   a tremendous ocean liner; tremendous talent.

2. extraordinary in excellence:

   a tremendous movie.

3. dreadful or awful, as in character or effect; exciting fear; frightening; terrifying.

tremendous

/ trɪˈmɛndəs /

adjective

1. vast; huge
2. informal.
   very exciting or unusual
3. informal.
   (intensifier)

   a tremendous help

4. archaic.
   terrible or dreadful

Derived Forms

• treˈmendousness, noun
• treˈmendously, adverb

Other Words From

• tre·men·dous·ly adverb
• tre·men·dous·ness noun
• un·tre·men·dous adjective
• un·tre·men·dous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tremendous¹

First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin tremendus “dreadful, to be shaken by,” equivalent to trem(ere) “to shake, quake” + -endus gerund suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of tremendous¹

C17: from Latin tremendus terrible, literally: that is to be trembled at, from tremere to quake

Synonym Study

See huge.

Example Sentences

Trump has said there's no price tag so there is already a tremendous amount of activity taking place in the private sector, with private prison and airplane businesses gearing up for some major government contracts.

From Salon

From that point Boulter showed tremendous fight to claw back the deficit, but the 28-year-old was then mortified to put a volley into the net at 30-30 in the ninth game.

From BBC

Many of us are experiencing tremendous pain right now; physical, spiritual, emotional or existential; with the weight of the world pressing down.

From Salon

Nothing much happens by way of action, yet unspoken tensions simmer under the surface, and by the movie’s surprising end, you sense that a tremendous transformation has quietly taken place.

From New York Times

Although we think of these repatriation drives as federally driven, they were largely enacted by local officials, a stark reminder that local governments have tremendous power to harm — but also to resist.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• amazing
• astounding
• awesome
• colossal
• dreadful
• enormous
• excellent
• exceptional
• extraordinary
• fabulous
• fantastic
• formidable
• great
• immense
• incredible
• marvelous
• massive
• monumental
• prodigious
• terrible