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

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

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

There is little doubt that this is a rapidly developing field and that there are tremendous upsides to be had, but at the same time, regrettably, hidden risks and outright gotchas come into these endeavors too. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025

The day will be a tremendous prelude to the Ryder Cup, which will be played in September at Bethpage Black, just over 200 miles northeast of Caves Valley Golf Club. —Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Aug. 2025

Garcia has tremendous reflexes and is a commanding presence in the box. —Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2025

In a ruling released Aug. 15, Judge Dominic W. Lanza acknowledged that the Resolution Copper mine will destroy one of the Apache people's most sacred sites, could potentially inflict devastating environmental effects and use tremendous quantities of water as Arizona endures a historic drought. —Debra Utacia Krol, AZCentral.com, 16 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin tremendus, from gerundive of tremere

First Known Use

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