fearsome

adjective

fear·​some ˈfir-səm 

1

a

: causing fear

a fearsome monster

b

: intense, extreme

fearsome determination

2

: timid, timorous

fearsomely adverb

fearsomeness noun

Synonyms

• formidable
• terrifying
• frightening
• scary
• horrible
• terrible
• intimidating

Examples of fearsome in a Sentence

at night the child would always imagine that there were fearsome monsters lurking under his bed

after working all afternoon in the hot sun, I had developed a fearsome thirst

Recent Examples on the Web

Motivated by Friede’s fearsome Charizard and with almost as much lust for adventure as his trainer Roy, this little fireball (evolved in season two to Crocalor) wants to be the very best, like no one ever was. —Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025

Rihanna’s Navy, now lost at sea due to her complete inability to release new music, was among the most fearsome. —Choire Sicha, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025

Regardless, with your trusty pulse rifle, blasting through the horde never gets too stale, and the 'bullet-sponginess' some have criticized actually feels right for monsters that are meant to be fearsome. —Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2025

However, the Texans boast one of the NFL's most fearsome defenses. —Max Dible, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

fear entry 1 + -some entry 1

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

fearsome

adjective

fear·​some ˈfi(ə)r-səm 

1

: causing fear

2

: timid

fearsomely adverb

fearsomeness noun