- present participle of intimidate.
intimidating
Americanadjective
-
Sometimes intimidatory intended to frighten someone or to force or stop someone’s action through fear.
We will not be sucked in to your macho agenda by intimidating threats of violence or seductive promises of power.
-
causing timidity, hesitancy, or anxiety, especially because of difficulty or risk; daunting.
The day-to-day operations of the healthcare environment can be overwhelming and intimidating to the point of paralysis.
-
causing someone to feel overawed or cowed, as through force of personality or superior display of wealth, talent, rank, etc..
All the others had gone to Harvard or Yale, and I was just a country hick; it was intimidating, for sure.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of intimidating
Explanation
Someone or something that causes fear is intimidating. Bullies are intimidating. Anyone or anything that is fearsome, daunting, or terrifying could be called intimidating. Looking at a huge list of vocabulary words is intimidating. Any difficult job can be intimidating. Lots of people find public speaking intimidating. Climbing into the mouth of a volcano and trying to take a photograph for National Geographic would be extremely intimidating, because you could die, and if you don't, what if your pictures aren't that good?
Vocabulary lists containing intimidating
A Separate Peace
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Divergent
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Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
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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.
Despite its intimidating size, Vasuki probably was not a particularly fast or agile hunter.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
The ICC said that the sanctions were aimed at disrupting its work and intimidating those who co-operate with it - but that it "will not be deterred".
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Law enforcement often coordinates with election officials to keep officials and voters safe without their presence intimidating voters, he said.
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026
“The prospect of having to do all of that alone can be very intimidating for women” who are also dealing with trauma and rebuilding their lives, Messenger said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
There was something intimidating about a bird that size, this close.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
