formidable
Americanadjective
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causing fear, apprehension, or dread.
a formidable opponent.
- Antonyms:
- pleasant
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of discouraging or awesome strength, size, difficulty, etc.; intimidating.
a formidable problem.
-
arousing feelings of awe or admiration because of grandeur, strength, etc.
-
of great strength; forceful; powerful.
formidable opposition to the proposal.
adjective
-
arousing or likely to inspire fear or dread
-
extremely difficult to defeat, overcome, manage, etc
a formidable problem
-
tending to inspire awe or admiration because of great size, strength, excellence, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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unformidablenessnoun
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superformidablenessnoun
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formidabilitynoun
-
nonformidablenessnoun
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nonformidableadjective
-
nonformidablyadverb
-
unformidableadjective
-
formidablyadverb
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nonformidabilitynoun
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quasi-formidableadjective
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superformidableadjective
-
formidablenessnoun
-
quasi-formidablyadverb
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unformidablyadverb
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superformidablyadverb
Etymology
Origin of formidable
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from French, from Latin formīdābilis “causing fear,” from formīd(āre) “to fear” + -ābilis -able
Explanation
People who are formidable inspire fear and respect thanks to their size, or special ability, or unusual qualities. If you're a wildly popular celebrity, you probably don't go anywhere without a formidable bodyguard. What's interesting about formidable is that we often tend to use it about things that are simultaneously scary and impressive. A formidable opponent is almost by definition a worthy one; a formidable challenge is almost by definition one worth rising to. Not surprisingly, this word is derived from the Latin formidare, "to fear."
Vocabulary lists containing formidable
List 3
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Words from "The Avengers"
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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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.
A larger AI company with physical applications such as robots, as well as AI computing power and expertise, would be a formidable competitor.
From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026
And increasingly formidable competition from China is pushing Amazon.com, Anthropic, Apple, Google, Meta Platforms, OpenAI and dozens of startups whose names you don’t yet know to keep advancing.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026
"Kank coexisted with larger carnivores such as Maip macrothorax, a formidable megaraptorid dinosaur more than 10 metres long, which may have been capable of preying upon it," Dr. Motta adds.
From Science Daily • May 29, 2026
Faison: My daughter was playing a volleyball game against a very formidable opponent.
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
The smile was an incongruity on such a formidable man.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
