Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

stupendous

/stuˈpɛndəs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.78 in modern English

Syllables: stu-pen-dous
IPA: /stuˈpɛndəs/

13

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Astonishingly great or large; huge; enormous.

adj

Of stunning excellence or degree; marvelous.

Example Sentences

"One cannot appreciate how stupendous the Matterhorn is without seeing it."
"The entrance to Fonthill—that truly cloud-capt palace, so fantastic and so transitory—was by two stupendous doors, which seemed to defy the strength of giants."
"Over the broadest there seemed to spring a cragged and stupendous arch, from which, as from the jaws of hell, gushed the sources of the sudden Phlegethon."
"The renovator created a stupendous new look for our house."

Etymology

First attested from 1547, from Late Latin stupendus (“stunning, amazing”), from the verb stupeō (“(I) am stunned”). Doublet of stupend (which is obsolete), and related to stupor and stupid.

Word Breakdown

Root: *(s)tewp-, stupendus

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /stuˈpɛndəs/
British English: /stjuˈpɛndəs/

Inflected Forms

more stupendous (comparative) most stupendous (superlative)

Derived Forms

stupendously stupendousness unstupendous

Frequently Paired Words

stupid stupor

Synonyms

colossal enormous huge marvelous prodigious terrific tremendous

Antonyms

stupid

Rhymes With

tremendous horrendous

Questions

How do you pronounce stupendous?: The recorded pronunciation is /stuˈpɛndəs/.
What does stupendous mean?: Astonishingly great or large; huge; enormous.
Where does stupendous come from?: First attested from 1547, from Late Latin stupendus (“stunning, amazing”), from the verb stupeō (“(I) am stunned”). Doublet of stupend (which is obsolete), and related to stupor and stupid.

How to pronounce stupendous

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