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 of fearsome

• 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

Kirk Kerkorian, the fearsome billionaire owner of MGM, who ate there three to four times a week. — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 16 July 2026

Sinner then retreated to his own workshop, optimized his already fearsome serve again and got back on track. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 12 July 2026

European colonists in Australia encountered a suite of venomous snakes just as fearsome as those of the Libyan desert. — Literary Hub, 10 July 2026

There’s also plenty of Duncan Idaho, the fearsome warrior who died defending Paul and his mother (Rebecca Ferguson), and who has been resurrected as a ghola. — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 8 July 2026

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