intimidating

[in-tim-i-dey-ting]

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.

Other Word Forms

• unintimidating adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of intimidating¹

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

Example Sentences

The body assessment was intimidating at first — I mean, who really wants to know the exact percentage of fat on their belly?

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“Wave pools are doing the same thing, lowering the barrier to entry for people to get into surfing in a controlled, safe environment that’s not as intimidating as the ocean, that’s predictable and consistent.”

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One, after making a new group of friends who never accepted me, advised me to try not to be “scary” and “intimidating” when I observed that I didn’t find these people to be welcoming.

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The court heard that earlier in the day her co-workers noticed Majek staring at her and other colleagues, in a manner described as "intimidating, scary and spooky".

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"Hull is not intimidating. That may not sound like praise but some larger cities, like Leeds and Manchester, can feel quite intimidating. Hull has a big town feel rather than a big city vibe."

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Related Words

• aggressive 
• frightening www.thesaurus.com
• terrifying