tremendous

1 of 2

adjective

tre·​men·​dous tri-ˈmen-dəs 

1

a

: notable by reason of extreme size, power, greatness, or excellence

tremendous problems

a writer of tremendous talent

—often used as a generalized term of approval

had a tremendous time

b

: unusually large : huge

a tremendous number of people

2

: being such as may excite trembling or arouse dread, awe, or terror

tremendousness noun

tremendousness

2 of 2

noun

tre·​men·​dous·​ness

plural -es

: the quality or state of being tremendous

Synonyms of tremendous

Adjective

• huge
• enormous
• vast
• gigantic
• massive
• immense
• giant
• colossal
• monumental
• astronomical
• mammoth

Choose the Right Synonym for tremendous

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 tremendous in a Sentence

Adjective

He has a tremendous amount of energy.

The engine's power is tremendous.

She is a writer of tremendous talent.

We had a tremendous time.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In turn, entering large numbers of guesses requires a tremendous amount of time and computing resources, even when the cracking is performed using GPUs or special-purpose hardware. —Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 4 June 2026

The 25th installment of the Tribeca Festival runs June 3-14 throughout New York City, boasting a tremendous music slate, with icons including Madonna, Earth, Wind & Fire and Peter Frampton premiering music films. —Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 4 June 2026

From a very early age, he’s been subjected to tremendous pressure and commitments that would make most adults cry, all while living in a world that exposes him to the masses nearly every waking second. —Jerry Perez, The Drive, 4 June 2026

Trump put tremendous pressure on state senators to approve a new map that would have added two Republican seats. —Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin tremendus, from gerundive of tremere

First Known Use

Adjective

1632, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for tremendous

• horrendous
• stupendous
• rendus

Kids Definition

tremendous

adjective

tre·​men·​dous tri-ˈmen-dəs 

1

: causing dread, awe, or terror : dreadful

2

: astonishing because of great size, excellence, or power

tremendous problems

a writer of tremendous talent

tremendously adverb