intimidate

American  

[in-tim-i-deyt] / ɪnˈtɪm ɪˌdeɪt /

verb (used with object)

intimidated, intimidating

1. to make timid; fill with fear.

   Synonyms:

   terrify, daunt, subdue, frighten

   Antonyms:

   calm

2. to overawe or cow, as through the force of personality or by superior display of wealth, talent, etc.

3. to force into or deter from some action by inducing fear.

   to intimidate a voter into staying away from the polls.

   Antonyms:

   encourage

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intimidate British  

/ ɪnˈtɪmɪˌdeɪt /

verb

1. to make timid or frightened; scare

2. to discourage, restrain, or silence illegally or unscrupulously, as by threats or blackmail

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Related Words

See discourage.

Other Word Forms

• intimidating adjective
• intimidation noun
• intimidator noun
• intimidatory adjective

Etymology

Origin of intimidate

First recorded in 1640–50; from Medieval Latin intimidātus, past participle of intimidāre “to make afraid,” equivalent to Latin in- verb-formative prefix + timid(us) “afraid” + -ātus past participle suffix; in- ², timid, -ate ¹

Example Sentences

"We will not be intimidated by a government that uses accusations of censorship to silence those who stand up for human rights and freedom of expression," they added.

From BBC

Beijing has been trying to intimidate her into silence ever since, and the effort took a particularly creepy turn last month.

From The Wall Street Journal

The scale of that burning is intimidating, but Hansen and his colleagues say there are several ways to make progress.

From Science Daily

Yes, it’s ideal to keep at least three months’ of expenses in an emergency fund, but don’t abandon saving altogether if that seems like an intimidating target.

From The Wall Street Journal

"There's still so many people that won't play a game - I think that's getting better but there's still people who are intimidated," he says.

From BBC

Related Words

• alarm
• awe
• bully
• coerce
• constrain
• daunt
• dishearten
• dismay
• scare
• subdue
• terrify
• terrorize