intimidating

adjective

in·tim·i·dat·ing | \ in-ˈti-mə-ˌdā-tiŋ

Definition of intimidating

: 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

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Other Words from intimidating

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

Examples of intimidating in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The three stars all appear in the video and seem pretty intimidating. — Rachel Yang, EW.com, "Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, Lana Del Rey kick ass in 'Don't Call Me Angel' music video," 13 Sep. 2019 While that might manifest as intimidating or cold in others, Hawke is surprisingly approachable and energetic. — Anna Moeslein, Glamour, "Maya Hawke Is the Internet’s New It Girl—She Just Doesn’t Care," 12 July 2019 If you weren’t raised with guns, getting into your first gun can be very intimidating. — Jon Caldara, The Denver Post, "Caldara: I want to give you one of my guns, really (click for details)," 16 Aug. 2019 For some, the rainbow manicure trend — with every fingernail painted a different color — might feel a little intimidating. — Megan Decker, refinery29.com, "The Simple Way To Wear Instagram's Trendiest Manicure," 25 June 2019 Most intimidating is Corviknight, a giant black bird that doubles as a taxi for shuttling people from town to town. — Andrew Webster, The Verge, "Pokémon Sword and Shield will launch on November 15th," 5 June 2019 This is going to be an intimidating environment next year in the MLS. — Patrick Brennan, Cincinnati.com, "Minnesota United: Cincinnati 'is going to be an intimidating environment' in MLS," 8 June 2018 Some may also find the sheer size of the Tahoe to be intimidating and its girth can be hard to park in crowded lots. — Mark Maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Best Family Cars of 2018: KBB.com," 3 Feb. 2018 Charming in person and intimidating and forceful by reputation, Mr Thiam walked straight into a tempest. — The Economist, "Tidjane Thiam’s overhaul of Credit Suisse is paying off," 24 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'intimidating.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.