C1adjective1K

Tremendous

UK /["/trəˈmendəs/"]/US /["/trəˈmendəs/"]/

Definition

very great

In simple words: Very great in amount, size, or intensity.

Examples

a tremendous explosion
A tremendous amount of work has gone into the project.
He has been under tremendous pressure recently.
The noise of bombs, guns and engines was tremendous.
It was a tremendous experience.
The support they gave us was tremendous.
You look absolutely tremendous!

Usage notes

Used to express something very large or impressive. Avoid using it in overly formal writing or when a simpler word would suffice.

Grammar pattern

standalone adjective

Memory hint

Think of 'tremendous' as 'tremendously large', like a giant elephant!

Collocations

tremendous success
tremendous impact
tremendous effort
tremendous amount
tremendous talent

Synonyms

huge
remarkable

Antonyms

tiny
insignificant
small

Common mistakes

Confused with 'tremendously', which is an adverb.
Used inappropriately for small amounts, like 'a tremendous cup of coffee'.
Mixing it up with 'tremble', which means to shake.