Showing results for "intimidating"

• present participle of intimidate.

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. )

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?

Example Sentences

CPS workers—who are often referred to in low-income communities as “the family police”—are tasked with addressing social welfare needs after they’ve already lost the trust of families by intimidating and judging them during investigations.

From Slate • Jul. 7, 2026

A few hours later, the bones had become weeks of soup — proof that one of the most intimidating “scratch staples” is mostly just time, heat and scraps.

From Salon • Jul. 2, 2026

Just going to the shops can be intimidating these days, a Malawian beauty therapist in Cape Town, who has lived in South Africa for 16 years without legal status, told the BBC.

From BBC • Jun. 16, 2026

Presumably, those who could afford the intimidating ticket and parking prices at SoFi Stadium considered the experience worthwhile.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2026

The building itself feels old and a little intimidating.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• aggressive
• frightening
• terrifying