tremendous

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

Synonyms

• astronomical
• astronomic
• Brobdingnagian
• bumper
• colossal
• cosmic
• cosmical
• cyclopean
• elephantine
• enormous
• galactic
• gargantuan
• giant
• gigantesque
• gigantic
• grand
• herculean
• heroic
• heroical
• Himalayan
• huge
• humongous
• humungous
• immense
• jumbo
• king-size
• king-sized
• leviathan
• mammoth
• massive
• mega
• mighty
• monster
• monstrous
• monumental
• mountainous
• oceanic
• pharaonic
• planetary
• prodigious
• super
• super-duper
• supersize
• supersized
• titanic
• vast
• vasty
• walloping
• whacking
• whopping

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

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

Trita Parsi from the Quincy Institute in Washington, an expert on Iran and U.S.-Israel relations, points out in an interview with Morning Edition's Leila Fadel that despite public defiance from the Netanyahu government, the U.S. has tremendous influence. —Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 19 Apr. 2024

Ford a 'tremendous painter' Blake’s first book was about the actor and makeup artist Lon Chaney. —The Arizona Republic, 19 Apr. 2024

Or go right, but only after tremendous, sometimes life-threatening difficulty. —Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024

In the old day Paris taxis were famous the world over for the furious way in which they were driven, but all that is now at thing of the past owing to the tremendous scarcity of petrol, which has all been requisitioned for the Nazi war machine. —Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2024

Retinol, a form of vitamin A, can stimulate tremendous amounts of collagen production that can reduce the appearance of pores and wrinkles. —Larry Stansbury, Essence, 16 Apr. 2024

At the airport, investigators said, the bomber detonated a 20-pound explosive, probably carried in a backpack or vest, spraying 5mm ball bearings in a tremendous blast that was captured in grainy video images shown to Pentagon reporters. —Compiled Bydemocrat Gazette Stafffrom Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 16 Apr. 2024

No one can deny that there is tremendous unrest and division over many difficult issues. —David Baldacci, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024

Everyone present knew the weapon was capable with just one successful hit of causing tremendous loss and damage – and of turning the war in Gaza into a broader regional conflict of unforeseen consequences. —Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin tremendus, from gerundive of tremere

First Known Use

1632, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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