Origin: Latin suffix -ous
Tremendous has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree
"an enormous boulder"
"enormous expenses"
"tremendous sweeping plains"
"a tremendous fact in human experience; that a whole civilization should be dependent on technology"
"a plane took off with a tremendous noise"
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
"a fantastic trip to the Orient"
"the film was fantastic!"
"a howling success"
"a marvelous collection of rare books"
"had a rattling conversation about politics"
"a tremendous achievement"
extreme in degree or extent or amount or impact
"in a frightful hurry"
"spent a frightful amount of money"
Awe-inspiring; terrific.
"The sheer scale of the ancient temple left us all feeling tremendous awe as we stepped inside."
The word tremendous entered English from the Latin tremendus, which originally meant "fearful" or "terrible." It is derived from a root meaning to tremble, reflecting its initial sense of something so awe-inspiring it causes fear.