adj
tremendous
trih-MEHN-duhs
adj
1
Extremely large in size, amount, or degree.
"The project was a tremendous success."
"It took a tremendous amount of effort to finish on time."
2
Impressively good, exciting, or powerful.
"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
Word Forms
more tremendous comparative, most tremendous superlative
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “tremendous”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The project was a _____ success.
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."