Tremendous
adjective
Definition
1. (adjective) Extremely large in size, amount, or degree — much bigger or stronger than normal.
2. (adjective) Extremely good, impressive, or exciting — used to show strong admiration or enthusiasm.
2. (adjective) Extremely good, impressive, or exciting — used to show strong admiration or enthusiasm.
Context Alive
Your little sister has been practising piano for a year and tonight is her first recital. She walks on stage looking terrified, sits down, and starts playing. By the end, the whole room is clapping and her teacher turns to your parents and says, "That was a tremendous improvement from where she started." Your mum starts crying. Your sister just grins.
Meanings
2 meanings
1
Extremely Large or Powerful (Adjective)
Very Common
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This meaning is about something being huge in size, scale, force, or impact. Imagine a storm hitting your town — trees falling, power lines down, roads flooded. The news calls it a tremendous storm because the damage is far beyond what anyone expected. This is about quantity or intensity that goes well past normal. You might say "there's been a tremendous amount of rain this month" when it hasn't stopped raining for weeks, or someone could say "the project requires a tremendous amount of work" when the task ahead is massive. Or picture a company that was worth nothing five years ago and is now valued at billions — that's tremendous growth. The word emphasises scale — whatever it is, it's much more than average.
✏️ Tremendous originally comes from a Latin word meaning "to tremble" — something so big or powerful it makes you shake. That physical sense is mostly gone now, but the feeling of being overwhelmed by the size of something is still built into the word.
2
Extremely Good or Impressive (Adjective)
Very Common
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This meaning is about praising something as excellent, wonderful, or really impressive. Imagine watching a friend perform stand-up comedy for the first time and they absolutely nail it — the audience is laughing non-stop. You go up to them afterwards and say, "That was tremendous — seriously, you should do this professionally." This is about expressing strong admiration or excitement. You might hear a football commentator say "what a tremendous goal" after a spectacular long-range shot, or someone could say "she's done a tremendous job" about a colleague who delivered amazing results on a project. Or think about tasting food at a new restaurant that's so good you can't stop talking about it — "the pasta was tremendous." The word carries genuine enthusiasm — it's not polite praise, it's real excitement.
✏️ Tremendous is a favourite word of politicians and public speakers — it sounds big and positive without being too casual. It's enthusiastic but still sounds grown-up, which is why bosses, coaches, and teachers use it a lot. It hits that sweet spot between "great" (too simple) and "extraordinary" (too formal).
Common Patterns
Core Patterns
a tremendous + noun → the most common form — describes the noun as extremely large or impressive
She's made a tremendous effort to improve her English this year.
tremendous + amount/number of → emphasises a very large quantity
They spent a tremendous amount of money on the renovation.
absolutely tremendous → intensified — adds extra emphasis to the praise or scale
The view from the top was absolutely tremendous.
Common Structures
a tremendous + improvement/success/achievement → praising progress or results that are far beyond expectations
Going from failing to top of the class is a tremendous achievement.
tremendous + pressure/impact/influence → describes a force or effect that is extremely strong
She's under tremendous pressure to deliver results before the deadline.
what a tremendous + noun → exclamation of admiration or surprise
What a tremendous performance — I wasn't expecting that at all.
Collocations
10 collocationstremendous amount
a very large quantity of something
tremendous effort
a huge amount of work or energy put into something
tremendous pressure
extreme stress or demands on someone
tremendous success
a result far better than expected
tremendous improvement
progress that is clearly visible and impressive
tremendous impact
a very powerful effect on something or someone
tremendous growth
a very large increase over time
tremendous opportunity
a chance that could lead to something really big
tremendous support
a very high level of help or backing from others
tremendous job
work that was done exceptionally well
Example Sentences
10 examples
1
She's put in a tremendous amount of work to get where she is today.
She's worked incredibly hard to reach the position she's in now.
2
The concert was tremendous — easily the best one I've been to this year.
The concert was amazing — by far the best I've attended all year.
3
There's been tremendous growth in the tech sector over the last decade.
The tech industry has expanded massively in the past ten years.
4
He's under tremendous pressure at work and it's starting to affect his health.
The stress at his job is enormous and it's beginning to take a toll on his body.
5
What a tremendous goal — he scored from thirty yards out.
What an incredible goal — he hit it from way outside the box.
6
The charity received tremendous support from the local community.
The local community backed the charity with an overwhelming amount of help.
7
Losing twenty kilos in six months is a tremendous achievement.
Dropping twenty kilos in half a year is seriously impressive.
8
The new policy has had a tremendous impact on how the company operates.
The new policy has completely changed the way the business runs.
9
You've done a tremendous job with this project — well done.
You've done an outstanding job on this — really impressive work.
10
It takes a tremendous amount of courage to start over in a new country.
Moving to a new country and starting fresh requires an incredible amount of bravery.
Synonyms & Antonyms
6 items
Synonymsenormous
focuses more on size and scale — less about quality or praise
incredible
works for both size and quality — slightly more casual and emotional
remarkable
more formal — emphasises that something is worth noticing and talking about
Antonymstiny
extremely small — the opposite in terms of size or scale
insignificant
too small or unimportant to matter — the opposite of impressive
terrible
extremely bad — the opposite when tremendous means excellent