- 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.
I know changing careers is intimidating, but I applaud your self-awareness.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
This ability may have helped them reach leaves high in trees, appear more intimidating to predators, attract mates, or reproduce.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
"Those intent on disrupting residents, closing off a key thoroughfare connecting communities and intimidating youth workers offer nothing for our community," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
The new season, which drops weekly on the Tastemade YouTube channel, takes viewers back to the basics, helping them create scratch staples at home and demystifying some of the most intimidating aspects of home cooking.
From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026
Twig narrowed her eyes at him in a way that was meant to be intimidating, but kind of made her look like a sleepy cat.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
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.
