tremendous
trih-MEHN-duhs
Tremendous (adj) means Extremely large in size, amount, or degree. Example: “The storm caused a tremendous amount of damage to the small seaside village.”
adj
1
Extremely large in size, amount, or degree.
"The storm caused a tremendous amount of damage to the small seaside village."
"The project was a tremendous success."
"It took a tremendous amount of effort to finish on time."
2
Impressively good, exciting, or powerful.
"We had a tremendous evening, with great food, lovely music and wonderful company."
"What a tremendous goal that was, right into the top corner!"
"She gave a tremendous performance in the final scene."
How to use tremendous
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishVery great in size, amount, or quality — used both for scary-huge things and for great, impressive ones.
Common mistake
Despite its scary-sounding origin, tremendous is almost always positive or neutral in modern use, not frightening.
Common pairings
tremendous amount
tremendous success
tremendous pressure
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Word forms
- Comparative
- more tremendous
- Superlative
- most tremendous
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The storm caused a _____ amount of damage to the small seaside village.
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."
Synonyms
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Related words
Rhymes for tremendous
See all rhymes for 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.
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