Meanings
comparative more tremendous · superlative most tremendous
- Awe-inspiring; terrific.
This she spoke with so commanding an air, standing with her back to the fire, with one hand behind her, and a pinch of snuff in the other, that I question whether Thalestris, at the head of her Amazons, ever made a more tremendous figure.
1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling - Notable for its size, power, or excellence.
Van Beethoven's ninth symphony is a tremendous piece of music.
- Extremely large (in amount, extent, degree, etc.) or great
There was a tremendous outpouring of support.
1 more example
The tremendous tragedy in which he had been involved - it was evident he was a fugitive from Weybridge - had driven him to the very verge of his reason.
1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 113
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveextraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree
adjectiveextraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
adjectiveextreme in degree or extent or amount or impact
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Adapted borrowing of Latin tremendus (“fearful, terrible”, gerundive of tremō (“to tremble”)) + -ous. Doublet of tremend.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian страхотен, впечатляващ
- страхотен (strahoten)awe-inspiring
- впечатляващ (vpečatljavašt)notable for size, power or excellence
- огромен (ogromen)extremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
- грамаден (gramaden)extremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
Catalan tremend
- tremendawe-inspiring
Chinese Mandarin 令人敬畏/驚歎/驚異的 /令人敬畏/惊叹/惊异的
- 令人敬畏/驚歎/驚異的 /令人敬畏/惊叹/惊异的awe-inspiring
Czech obdivuhodný
- obdivuhodnýnotable for size, power or excellence
Dutch ontzagwekkend, geweldig
- ontzagwekkendawe-inspiring
- geweldigextremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
Finnish hämmästyttävä, mahtava
- hämmästyttäväawe-inspiring
- mahtavaawe-inspiring
- valtavanotable for size, power or excellence
- mahtavanotable for size, power or excellence
- upeanotable for size, power or excellence
- valtavaextremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
- suunnatonextremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
- loistavaextremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
- mahtavaextremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
- erinomainenextremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
French formidable, énorme
- formidableawe-inspiring
- énormeextremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
German beträchtlich, außerordentlich
- beträchtlichextremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
- außerordentlichextremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
Hebrew עָצוּם
- עָצוּם ('atzúm)notable for size, power or excellence
Italian formidabile, tremendo
- formidabileawe-inspiring
- tremendoawe-inspiring
- eccellentenotable for size, power or excellence
- straordinarioextremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
- enormeextremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
Japanese 莫大
- 莫大 (bakudai)extremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
Portuguese tremendo, formidável
- tremendoawe-inspiring
- formidávelawe-inspiring
- tremendonotable for size, power or excellence
- formidávelnotable for size, power or excellence
- tremendoextremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
- enormeextremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
Romanian formidabil
- formidabilawe-inspiring
Russian восхити́тельный, выдаю́щийся
- восхити́тельный (vosxitítelʹnyj)awe-inspiring
- выдаю́щийся (vydajúščijsja)notable for size, power or excellence
- огромный громадный (ogromnyj)extremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
- неисчисляемый (neisčisljajemyj)extremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
- неизмеряемый (neizmerjajemyj)extremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
- очень сильный (očenʹ silʹnyj)extremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
- великий (velikij)extremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
- etc. - extremely largeextremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
- огромный (ogromnyj)extremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
- высочайший (vysočajšij)extremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
- экстраординарный (ekstraordinarnyj)extremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
Spanish tremendo, apoteósico
- tremendoawe-inspiring
- apoteósicoawe-inspiring
- tremendonotable for size, power or excellence
- tremendoextremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
Swedish oerhörd, enorm
- oerhördawe-inspiring
- enormextremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
- oerhördextremely large (in amount, extent, degree etc.) or great; enormous; extraordinary
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with tremendous
All rhymes →Cite this entry
tremendous. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tremendous
“tremendous.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tremendous. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tremendous,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tremendous.
Source: tremendous on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.