formidable
Americanadjective
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causing fear, apprehension, or dread.
a formidable opponent.
- Antonyms:
- pleasant
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of discouraging or awesome strength, size, difficulty, etc.; intimidating.
a formidable problem.
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arousing feelings of awe or admiration because of grandeur, strength, etc.
-
of great strength; forceful; powerful.
formidable opposition to the proposal.
adjective
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arousing or likely to inspire fear or dread
-
extremely difficult to defeat, overcome, manage, etc
a formidable problem
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tending to inspire awe or admiration because of great size, strength, excellence, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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superformidableadjective
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formidablenessnoun
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superformidablyadverb
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unformidablyadverb
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quasi-formidablyadverb
-
quasi-formidableadjective
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nonformidablyadverb
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unformidableadjective
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nonformidabilitynoun
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formidablyadverb
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unformidablenessnoun
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superformidablenessnoun
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formidabilitynoun
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nonformidablenessnoun
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nonformidableadjective
Etymology
Origin of formidable
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from French, from Latin formīdābilis “causing fear,” from formīd(āre) “to fear” + -ābilis -able
Explanation
People who are formidable inspire fear and respect thanks to their size, or special ability, or unusual qualities. If you're a wildly popular celebrity, you probably don't go anywhere without a formidable bodyguard. What's interesting about formidable is that we often tend to use it about things that are simultaneously scary and impressive. A formidable opponent is almost by definition a worthy one; a formidable challenge is almost by definition one worth rising to. Not surprisingly, this word is derived from the Latin formidare, "to fear."
Vocabulary lists containing formidable
List 3
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Words from "The Avengers"
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mi Hermano Ramon, for Mark Glatt, was fourth; Balnikov, trained by Phil D’Amato was 10th and Formidable Man, for Michael McCarthy was 12th and last.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2025
HMS Venturer is the first set to be built, followed by Active, Formidable, Bulldog and Campbeltown.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2023
Formidable pirates though they were, Captain Raphael Semmes and his crew were spooked by the sea they encountered that January evening.
From Scientific American • Jul. 23, 2022
Formidable center backs Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini are still holding the fort, like they have been for more than a decade, and Italy has conceded only two goals so far.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 5, 2021
Formidable in debate, plain in speech, without pretence of literary acquirements, he was none the less self-reliant.
From Abraham Lincoln, Volume 2 (of 2) The True Story of a Great Life by Herndon, William H.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
