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formidable

[ fawr-mi-duh-buhl, fawr-mid-uh-buhl ]
/ ˈfɔr mɪ də bəl, ˌfɔrˈmɪd ə bəl /
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See synonyms for formidable on Thesaurus.com
adjective
causing fear, apprehension, or dread: a formidable opponent.
of discouraging or awesome strength, size, difficulty, etc.; intimidating: a formidable problem.
arousing feelings of awe or admiration because of grandeur, strength, etc.
of great strength; forceful; powerful: formidable opposition to the proposal.
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Origin of formidable

1400–50; late Middle English <French <Latin formīdābilis causing fear, equivalent to formīd- (stem of formīdāre to fear) + -ābilis-able

OTHER WORDS FROM formidable

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH formidable

formative, formidable
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to formidable

awesome, dangerous, daunting, dire, dreadful, fierce, imposing, intimidating, menacing, terrific, arduous, challenging, onerous, powerful, tough, tremendous, appalling, awful, dismaying, fearful

How to use formidable in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for formidable

formidable
/ (ˈfɔːmɪdəbəl) /
adjective
arousing or likely to inspire fear or dread
extremely difficult to defeat, overcome, manage, etca formidable problem
tending to inspire awe or admiration because of great size, strength, excellence, etc

Derived forms of formidable

formidability or formidableness, nounformidably, adverb

Word Origin for formidable

C15: from Latin formīdābilis, from formīdāre to dread, from formīdō fear
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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