tremendous

adjective

tre·​men·​dous tri-ˈmen-dəs How to pronounce tremendous (audio)
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
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
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.
And then obviously all that stuff leads to tremendous team success. Jesse Temple, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024 Instead, there should be more celebrating of a league that's more skilled than ever and offering tremendous parody. Bobby Krivitsky, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024 Military families routinely make tremendous sacrifices for our country, and servicemembers are expected to bravely risk their lives during combat. Jen Cousins and Kbf Francis, Orlando Sentinel, 26 Dec. 2024 The fact that what was for a very long time the largest aircraft ever built was made of wood is common knowledge, but that simple statement of fact covers a tremendous amount of technological innovation. David Szondy, New Atlas, 25 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tremendous 

Word History

Etymology

Latin tremendus, from gerundive of tremere

First Known Use

1632, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of tremendous was in 1632

Dictionary Entries Near tremendous

Cite this Entry

“Tremendous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tremendous. Accessed 3 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

tremendous

adjective
tre·​men·​dous tri-ˈmen-dəs How to pronounce tremendous (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on tremendous

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