intimidating

American  

[in-tim-i-dey-ting] / ɪnˈtɪm ɪˌdeɪ tɪŋ /

adjective

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

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Other Word Forms

• unintimidating adjective

Etymology

Origin of intimidating

intimidat(e) ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Pablo Arceo, who works at a Mexican restaurant a short drive from the vacant warehouse, is anxious about ICE officials intimidating his colleagues.

From Barron's

"It's sad that people think that this kind of thing can be done, that you can go around intimidating people, you can go around scaring people," he said.

From BBC

"And I know that sounds intimidating, but there is no point in fighting it now."

From BBC

But the intimidating resume didn’t match the soft-spoken athlete who asked to join Bowe on daily walks in the Beijing Olympic village in 2022.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr. Nolte’s voice is so frail and thin that he’s difficult to understand in the role; he hardly seems like the sort of intimidating figure he’s meant to be.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• aggressive
• frightening
• terrifying