1
as in terrifying
causing fear
a formidable, irascible old man who frightened the neighborhood children
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
running a marathon is a formidable undertaking
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of formidable
Williams, 62, previously headed Apple's formidable operations division, which is in charge of manufacturing millions of complicated devices like iPhones, while keeping costs down.
—
Kif Leswing, CNBC, 8 July 2025
Rose will likely face off against a formidable opponent in U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee.
—Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
But Martone is one of the very best prospects in this draft and gives the Flyers size, high-end skill (he’s got plus traits as a shooter, handler and playmaker), and a formidable one-two punch at right wing with Matvei Michkov.
—Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 27 June 2025
The actress portrayed formidable sensei Kim Da-Eun on the Netflix series that ended in February after six seasons.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for formidable
Kif Leswing, CNBC, 8 July 2025
Rose will likely face off against a formidable opponent in U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee.
—Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
But Martone is one of the very best prospects in this draft and gives the Flyers size, high-end skill (he’s got plus traits as a shooter, handler and playmaker), and a formidable one-two punch at right wing with Matvei Michkov.
—Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 27 June 2025
The actress portrayed formidable sensei Kim Da-Eun on the Netflix series that ended in February after six seasons.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for formidable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for formidable
Adjective
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When the body of a young man is found eerily staged in the idyllic Scottish wilderness, detective Monica Kennedy fears this is just the beginning of a terrifying campaign that will strike the heart of a rural community.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
1 July 2025
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The terrifying moment that passengers were made to put on oxygen masks was captured on video.—
Latoya Gayle,
People.com,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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James is playing the final year of his contract at $52.6 million, which is a very difficult number for teams to pay.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 July 2025
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Our models and expertise can sniff out the broad parameters, but the precise location and timing of moisture plumes, training (quasi-stationary rain cells), and forcing mechanism can be difficult.—
Marshall Shepherd,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
Adjective
-
The great outdoors can be a big and frightening place, especially for cats who have only seen it from the safety of the great indoors.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
7 July 2025
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Moreover, if their environment is unpredictable, frightening, or volatile, some children learn that any disagreement could lead to danger and try to bury their feelings to avoid conflict and maintain a sense of peace.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Parents,
7 July 2025
Adjective
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The producer said getting his hands on an original copy of the Carter song on LP proved challenging, and expensive, signaling a cult following for such music.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
9 July 2025
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Gap Easy Trousers Finding summer work pants that are both breathable and stylish can be challenging, but these petite Easy Trousers from Gap fit the bill perfectly.—
Melony Forcier,
Travel + Leisure,
9 July 2025
Adjective
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The filmmakers used the sounds of babies crying to make a scary noise In the film, the bad people go to a bad afterlife, and they’re taken there by creepy, inky shadow things.—
Drew Mackie,
People.com,
13 July 2025
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He’s got that leading-man energy that, for that part, was just super-fun, this very scary, almost James Bond villain, or Mission: Impossible.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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With one out, however, Ohtani was thrown at the plate trying to score from third on Pages’ chopper up the line — making an aggressive, but proper, read in a game in which the Dodgers had long before conceded that runs would be tough to come by.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 July 2025
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The tough part is deciding between a leather sofa or a plush number made with performance fabric.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
9 July 2025
Adjective
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And because of that, it’s shielded us from the terrible things that happen downstream in the supply chain.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
8 July 2025
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Vegas bounced back from a terrible loss to the Fever with an 86-68 win over the Sun on Sunday.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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The Freeform rolling carry-on was deemed the Best Overall Carry-on by Travel + Leisure after rounds of rigorous testing at our New York City lab.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
11 July 2025
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Before a potential controller can even step foot in the academy, there’s a rigorous application and qualification process.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Formidable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formidable. Accessed 17 Jul. 2025.
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