intimidating

adjective

in·​tim·​i·​dat·​ing in-ˈti-mə-ˌdā-tiŋ 

: causing a loss of courage or self-confidence : producing feelings of fear or timidity

an intimidating snarl

a boss with a very intimidating manner

The Red Army athletes were the most intimidating of competitors.

—Ian Thomsen

First jobs are intimidating for everyone, but few people have to cope with the stresses of the workplace at such a tender age as ballet dancers do.

—Daphne Hurford

intimidatingly adverb

The ship was eerily, intimidatingly empty …

—Anthony Bourdain

… according to the architect Richard Rogers, [Daniel] Libeskind's work isn't just formally arresting—it is intimidatingly smart.

—Jason Cowley

Synonyms

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

Examples of intimidating in a Sentence

the school's seniors faced the intimidating prospect of the college entrance exams

an intimidating bodyguard keeping the fans away from the pop star

Recent Examples on the Web

Is this event also a way to make World and the Orb feel more approachable and less intimidating to the public, especially those skeptical of getting their eyes scanned? —Tanya Benedicto Klich, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025

For starters, the Nittany Lions play their home games at Beaver Stadium, which can be an intimidating place with seating for 106,572 fans. —Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2025

The easier tasks are less intimidating and will help build your confidence to work on something more challenging in the future. —Keenan Thompson, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025

Ainsley Wilson is an intimidating presence in the front row for Burlington Central. —Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1748, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for intimidating

• accelerating
• accentuating
• accommodating
• accumulating
• adjudicating
• administrating
• affiliating
• agglutinating
• alienating
• alleviating
• amalgamating
• ameliorating