formidable

[ fawr-mi-duh-buhl, fawr-mid-uh-buhl ]

adjective

1. causing fear, apprehension, or dread:

   a formidable opponent.

   Synonyms: horrible, frightful, fearful, menacing, threatening, appalling, dreadful

   Antonyms: pleasant

2. of discouraging or awesome strength, size, difficulty, etc.; intimidating:

   a formidable problem.

3. arousing feelings of awe or admiration because of grandeur, strength, etc.
4. of great strength; forceful; powerful:

   formidable opposition to the proposal.

formidable

/ ˈfɔːmɪdəbəl /

adjective

1. arousing or likely to inspire fear or dread
2. extremely difficult to defeat, overcome, manage, etc

   a formidable problem

3. tending to inspire awe or admiration because of great size, strength, excellence, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈformidably, adverb
• ˌformidaˈbility, noun

Other Words From

• for·mi·da·ble·ness for·mi·da·bil·i·ty noun
• for·mi·da·bly adverb
• non·for·mi·da·bil·i·ty noun
• non·for·mi·da·ble adjective
• non·for·mi·da·ble·ness noun
• non·for·mi·da·bly adverb
• qua·si-for·mi·da·ble adjective
• qua·si-for·mi·da·bly adverb
• su·per·for·mi·da·ble adjective
• su·per·for·mi·da·ble·ness noun
• su·per·for·mi·da·bly adverb
• un·for·mi·da·ble adjective
• un·for·mi·da·ble·ness noun
• un·for·mi·da·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of formidable¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from French, from Latin formīdābilis “causing fear,” from formīd(āre) “to fear” + -ābilis -able

Word History and Origins

Origin of formidable¹

C15: from Latin formīdābilis , from formīdāre to dread, from formīdō fear

Example Sentences

Amazon’s data-driven DSP solution would be a formidable adversary for Google and other advertising platforms at the best of times.

From Search Engine Land

A shuttered, starving root microbiome is the great undoing of the botanical worlds’ strategy for coupling a just-right rate of growth with a formidable built-in arsenal and pharmacy.

From Nautilus

Kohl’s strip mall neighbors, notably Ulta and Target, are formidable rivals with popular offerings.

From Fortune

The analysis aimed to uncover the evolutionary history of SARS-CoV-2 and see if the virus had exchanged bits of genetic material with other coronaviruses, a process called recombination, to become the formidable pathogen it is now.

From Science News

Social media is a formidable channel for building brand loyalty.

From Search Engine Watch

But while the obstacles to evidence-based governance are formidable, they are not insurmountable.

From The Daily Beast

At Michigan, he would be a formidable recruiter, able to evoke the tradition of his former iconic coach, Bo Schembechler.

From The Daily Beast

She has been formidable from start to finish, and is one of the hardest workers in the company.

From The Daily Beast

Mired in ideological warfare, America faces her most formidable opponent yet— herself.

From The Daily Beast

Any institution striving to examine such an iconic figure would find formidable challenges.

From The Daily Beast

The Texians laughed at the fanfarronades of the dons, and did not attach sufficient importance to these formidable preparations.

From Project Gutenberg

Janet's silence impressed Hilda: it was not merely strange--it was formidable: it affected the whole day.

From Project Gutenberg

In fact, his appearance was so formidable that Davy did not pause for a second look, but started off at the top of his speed.

From Project Gutenberg

I found the formidable looking volume more readable than I had imagined and less difficult to understand than I had expected.

From Project Gutenberg

The critical moralist pauses before the formidable array of the entire social world, civilized and savage.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• awesome
• dangerous
• daunting
• dire
• dreadful
• fierce
• imposing
• intimidating
• menacing
• terrific