Synonym Chooser

How is the word tremendous different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of tremendous are monstrous, prodigious, and stupendous. While all these words mean "extremely impressive," tremendous may imply a power to terrify or inspire awe.

the tremendous roar of the cataract

When might monstrous be a better fit than tremendous?

In some situations, the words monstrous and tremendous are roughly equivalent. However, 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

When is it sensible to use prodigious instead of tremendous?

The synonyms prodigious and tremendous are sometimes interchangeable, but 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

When is stupendous a more appropriate choice than tremendous?

Although the words stupendous and tremendous have much in common, stupendous implies a power to stun or astound, usually because of size, numbers, complexity, or greatness beyond description.

a stupendous volcanic eruption

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tremendous With the return of Worthy, whose tremendous rookie year was punctuated with his eight-catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns in the otherwise abominable Super Bowl loss to the Eagles, everything else was both more in its place and expanded through his presence. Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025 Garden City in particular has undergone tremendous changes. Idaho Statesman, 29 Sep. 2025 In these pursuits, next-generation AI tools can be a tremendous help. Preston Fore, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2025 This incident has created tremendous fear for DMPS students, families, and staff. Richard Hall, Time, 27 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tremendous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tremendous
Adjective
  • More pertinently, if Iroegbunam or Gueye tired or did not screen passes correctly (shown below), Rogers and Emiliano Buendia had huge spaces to receive and turn, owing to Everton’s deep centre-backs refusing to step out.
    Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Mason had a huge game against the Bengals in Week 3, racking up 116 yards and two touchdowns on two carries.
    Jacob Camenker, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The Apple Valley Model Railroad Museum has an enormous (22 feet by 100 feet) model railroad built in a picturesque Western North Carolina landscape.
    Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Thanks to Google’s enormous war chest, Waymo has had the luxury to spend 16 years raking in data to create more precise self-driving cars, all with the hope of an eventual payoff.
    Saahil Desai, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Data center demand has surged in recent years, largely driven by the explosion in AI workloads, which require vast computing power, electrical power, cooling and networking infrastructure.
    Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Future plans for Maya’s Cookies include a third brick-and-mortar location, possibly in Los Angeles, where Madsen said the company gets a vast amount of online orders.
    Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The Patriots cruising into halftime with a gigantic lead.
    Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Here, slowly being swallowed by vegetation and worn down by time, are gigantic mausoleums, vast underground cisterns, temples, imposing city walls and a breathtaking theater perched, like Machu Picchu, on a hilltop that offers views stretching for miles all around.
    Barry Neild, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The year Goldberg-Polin and her family arrived in Israel, the country launched Operation Cast Lead, a massive military operation aimed at halting intensifying Hamas mortar, missile and rocket fire terrorizing southern Israeli communities.
    Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Roan performs on a set that looks like a massive Gothic castle with a drawbridge, parapets and a throne.
    Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The fallout from his injury is immense.
    Chris Branch, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Restructuring on this scale presents immense challenges for employees.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • A little further out, there’s a much more conventional factory site, where giant industrial mixers mass-produce the Firmenich scents.
    Peter Vanham, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Those weeks saw students, pensioners, veterans, doctors and teachers stand in freezing temperatures around giant stages, teaching politicians that this was not a crowd to lead, but one to follow.
    Nick Spicer, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Sonar revealed ancient relics along the sea floor, including a series of colossal structures standing 20 feet high and arranged in rows, as well as several anchors and amphora.
    Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 24 Sep. 2025
  • In the mountains of central China, a colossal antenna system stretches across the landscape.
    Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Tremendous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tremendous. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

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