stupendous

adjective

stu·​pen·​dous stu̇-ˈpen-dəs How to pronounce stupendous (audio)
styu̇-
1
: causing astonishment or wonder : awesome, marvelous
2
: of amazing size or greatness : tremendous
stupendously adverb
stupendousness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for stupendous

monstrous, prodigious, tremendous, stupendous mean extremely impressive.

monstrous implies a departure from the normal (as in size, form, or character) and often carries suggestions of deformity, ugliness, or fabulousness.

the monstrous waste of the project

prodigious suggests a marvelousness exceeding belief, usually in something felt as going far beyond a previous maximum (as of goodness, greatness, intensity, or size).

made a prodigious effort and rolled the stone aside

tremendous may imply a power to terrify or inspire awe.

the tremendous roar of the cataract

stupendous implies a power to stun or astound, usually because of size, numbers, complexity, or greatness beyond description.

a stupendous volcanic eruption

Examples of stupendous in a Sentence

a person with stupendous wealth the stupendous engineering feats achieved by the ancient Romans
Recent Examples on the Web In part to meet that demand, Microsoft has been adding data centers at a stupendous rate, spending more than $10 billion on cloud-computing capacity in every quarter of late. Karen Hao, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2024 The model is now part of the 1100 cc club with the debut of the stupendous 2021 edition. Peter Jackson, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2024 The attention-grooming model fostered by Section 230 leads to stupendous quantities of poor-quality data. Jaron Lanier, WIRED, 13 Feb. 2024 None of the authors or executioners of this stupendous blunder have suffered professionally or lost political standing. Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 2 Feb. 2024 The show’s centerpiece is a stupendous recent acquisition: one of the last surviving examples of a relatively complete Frankfurt Kitchen designed in 1926-27 by Margarete Schuette-Lihotzky (1897-2000), Austria’s first female architect. Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2024 But how many other teams have had stupendous quarterbacks and not won rings? USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2024 The quality of light at the moment when totality begins is stupendous with an amazing show of iridescence, scintillation, and delicate colors. Michael E. Bakich, Discover Magazine, 22 Jan. 2024 Lamont Butler curiously continued to struggle from the line – 1 of 4 on Thursday, 35.7 percent on the season – but was stupendous everywhere else, finishing with a season-high 18 points, three 3s, four assists and four steals in 32 minutes. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stupendous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin stupendus, gerundive of stupēre

First Known Use

1618, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stupendous was in 1618

Dictionary Entries Near stupendous

Cite this Entry

“Stupendous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stupendous. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

stupendous

adjective
stu·​pen·​dous st(y)u̇-ˈpen-dəs How to pronounce stupendous (audio)
: amazing especially because of great size or height
stupendous gorges
stupendously adverb
stupendousness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on stupendous

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