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tremendous - 4 dictionary results

tre⋅men⋅dous

  [tri-men-duhs]
Use tremendous in a Sentence
–adjective
1. extraordinarily great in size, amount, or intensity: a tremendous ocean liner; tremendous talent.
2. extraordinary in excellence: a tremendous movie.
3. dreadful or awful, as in character or effect; exciting fear; frightening; terrifying.
Origin:
1625–35; < L tremendus dreadful, to be shaken by, equiv. to trem(ere) to shake, quake + -endus ger. suffix

Related forms:
tre⋅men⋅dous⋅ly, adverb
tre⋅men⋅dous⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. See huge.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To tremendous
tre·men·dous   (trĭ-měn'dəs)   
adj.  
    1. Extremely large in amount, extent, or degree; enormous: a tremendous task. See Synonyms at enormous.
    2. Informal Marvelous; wonderful: had a tremendous time at the theater last night.
  2. Capable of making one tremble; terrible.

[From Latin tremendus, gerundive of tremere, to tremble.]
tre·men'dous·ly adv., tre·men'dous·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Tremendous

Tre*men"dous\, a. [L. tremendus that is to be trembled at, fearful, fr. tremere to tremble. See Tremble.] Fitted to excite fear or terror; such as may astonish or terrify by its magnitude, force, or violence; terrible; dreadful; as, a tremendous wind; a tremendous shower; a tremendous shock or fall.

A tremendous mischief was a foot. --Motley.

Syn: Terrible; dreadful; frightful; terrific; horrible; awful. -- Tre*men"dous*ly, adv. -- Tre*men"dous*ness, n.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : tremendous
Spanish: tremendo, enorme,
German: gewaltig,
Japanese: とても大きい
More Translations »

tremendous 
1632, "awful, dreadful, terrible," from L. tremendus "fearful, terrible," lit. "to be trembled at," gerundive form of tremere "to tremble" (see tremble). Hyperbolic or intensive sense of "extraordinarily great or good, immense" is attested from 1812, paralleling semantic changes in terrific, terribly, awfully, etc.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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