tremendous
6 synonyms and 0 antonyms for tremendous, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adj — Extremely large in size, amount, or degree.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
How to use tremendous
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Etymology
From Latin tremendus, "fearful, to be trembled at," originally describing something so awesome it made people shake. Over time English softened it from "terrifying" to simply "very great" or "impressive."
Full origin of tremendous →Frequently asked questions
What does “tremendous” mean?
The word “tremendous” means extremely large in size, amount, or degree. In plain terms, very great in size, amount, or quality — used both for scary-huge things and for great, impressive ones.
How do you pronounce “tremendous”?
“Tremendous” is pronounced trih-MEHN-duhs (/tɹɪˈmɛndəs/ in IPA).
How do you use “tremendous” in a sentence?
Here is “tremendous” used in a sentence: “The project was a tremendous success.”
What part of speech is “tremendous”?
“Tremendous” is an adjective.
Where does the word “tremendous” come from?
The word “tremendous” comes from Latin. From Latin tremendus, "fearful, to be trembled at," originally describing something so awesome it made people shake. Over time English softened it from "terrifying" to simply "very great" or "impressive.".
Is “tremendous” a common word?
“Tremendous” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
How many meanings does “tremendous” have?
“Tremendous” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: extremely large in size, amount, or degree.
What is the difference between tremendous and enormous?
Enormous refers mainly to physical size or quantity, while tremendous covers size, amount, or degree and can also mean impressively good or powerful. You would call a mountain enormous, but you might call a performance tremendous.
Is tremendous always positive?
Not always. Tremendous often expresses admiration, as in a tremendous achievement, but it can simply mark extreme degree, as in tremendous pressure or a tremendous explosion. In those cases it measures scale rather than approval.
What is the difference between tremendous and terrific?
In modern informal English, terrific almost always means excellent. Tremendous can mean excellent too, but it keeps a stronger sense of sheer size or force, as in a tremendous amount or tremendous energy, so it is the better choice when scale is the point.
What words commonly go with tremendous?
Tremendous commonly pairs with amount, success, pressure, effort, respect, and opportunity. In each of these collocations it works as an intensifier meaning extremely great in size or degree.