stupendous

adjective

stu·​pen·​dous stu̇-ˈpen-dəs 

styu̇-

1

: causing astonishment or wonder : awesome, marvelous

2

: of amazing size or greatness : tremendous

stupendously adverb

stupendousness noun

Synonyms

• marvellous
• wonderful
• amazing
• astonishing
• miraculous
• incredible
• marvelous
• surprising
• stunning
• sublime
• staggering

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

Once that's accomplished, though, the movie is a happy thrill ride, a string of stupendous (and stupendously silly) scenes in which the mutants go after the castaways. —Tom Gliatto, People.com, 30 June 2025

No amount of over-tourism, or depopulation, or high water — all of which plague this stupendous town — can change that. —Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025

Their seven wins largely stem from stupendous pitching performances. —Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 18 June 2025

The effort followed on the heels of the stupendous Chicago World’s Fair of 1893, visited by 27 million folks from around the world. —Jim Nowlan, Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin stupendus, gerundive of stupēre

First Known Use

1618, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for stupendous

• horrendous
• tremendous
• rendus

Kids Definition

stupendous

adjective

stu·​pen·​dous st(y)u̇-ˈpen-dəs 

: amazing especially because of great size or height

stupendous gorges

stupendously adverb

stupendousness noun