fearsome

[feer-suhm]

adjective

1. causing fear.

   a fearsome noise.

2. causing awe or respect.

   a fearsome self-confidence.

3. afraid; timid.

fearsome

/ ˈfɪəsəm /

adjective

1. frightening

2. timorous; afraid

Other Word Forms

• fearsomely adverb
• fearsomeness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fearsome¹

First recorded in 1760–70; fear + -some ¹

Example Sentences

He’s referring to the fearsome notion of a possible “global stilling” of air currents.

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A Japanese town deleted a social media post warning of a bear sighting after discovering that a picture it had received showing the fearsome creature was AI-generated.

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Increasingly, we do so at our own peril, retreating into screens that bombard us with ever more fearsome stories of others, which causes us to retreat even further.

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They have a fearsome defensive front that enhances the secondary’s playmaking abilities.

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The German U-boat force maintained a fearsome reputation.

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Related Words

• awe-inspiring 
• awesome 
• formidable 
• frightening www.thesaurus.com
• frightful 
• horrible 
• intimidating 
• powerful 
• scary 
• terrible 
• terrifying