Confusing words explained
“terrible” vs “tremendous” — What’s the Difference?
Tremendous is great/impressive; terrible is awful.
Key takeaway
Quick Difference: terrible vs tremendous
Tremendous is great/impressive; terrible is awful.
terrible vs tremendous Side-by-Side Comparison
Meaning of terrible
Extremely bad, unpleasant, or of poor quality.
Very bad or causing fear or worry.
Use before nouns: terrible weather, terrible day. Can be used after 'feel': That feels terrible.
- The food at that restaurant was terrible.
- She had a terrible accident that left her in hospital.
Meaning of tremendous
Very large, huge, or extremely impressive and good.
Extremely big or very good; amazing in size or quality.
Use before noun: 'tremendous effort', 'tremendous amount'.
- She has a tremendous amount of energy.
- The concert was tremendous success.
How to Remember the Difference
Terrible = very bad (negative); tremendous = very large or great (mostly positive in modern English).
Common Mistakes with terrible and tremendous
Mistake with terrible
Wrong: This is a terrible of weather.
Correct: This is terrible weather.
Adjective does not use 'of'; place before noun directly.
Mistake with terrible
Wrong: The situation became more terribly.
Correct: The situation became more terrible.
After linking verb 'became', use adjective not adverb.
Mistake with tremendous
Wrong: That movie was tremendous boring.
Correct: That movie was tremendously boring.
Adverb 'tremendously' modifies adjective, not adjective itself.
Mistake with tremendous
Wrong: He has tremendous time to finish.
Correct: He has tremendous amounts of time.
With countable plural, need 'amounts of', not just adjective.
Practice Quiz: terrible or tremendous?
Choose the word that best completes each real example sentence.
Question 1
The food at that restaurant was _____.
Question 2
She had a _____ accident that left her in hospital.
Question 3
The _____ consequences of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent.
Pick at least one answer, then press Check answers to see how you did.
You scored 0 out of 3
Frequently Asked Questions About terrible vs tremendous
What’s the difference between “terrible” and “tremendous”?
Tremendous is great/impressive; terrible is awful.
When should I use “terrible”?
Use before nouns: terrible weather, terrible day. Can be used after 'feel': That feels terrible.
When should I use “tremendous”?
Use before noun: 'tremendous effort', 'tremendous amount'.
How can I remember terrible vs tremendous?
Terrible = very bad (negative); tremendous = very large or great (mostly positive in modern English).
Is it “terrible” or “tremendous” in example sentences?
Use the quiz above to test the pair with real example sentences from the available word data.