1
as in formidable
causing fear
at night the child would always imagine that there were fearsome monsters lurking under his bed
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2
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
after working all afternoon in the hot sun, I had developed a fearsome thirst
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3
as in timid
easily frightened
the more fearsome of the two children would only peer at the guests from a distance
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fearsome
Someone described Minneapolis the other day as having the inclusivity and quirkiness of San Francisco but with the attitude of the Bronx — a fearsome combination.
—
Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2026
Mark Ingram, the first Alabama player to win the Heisman Trophy, and Ndamukong Suh and Aaron Donald, two of the most fearsome defensive linemen of their era, highlight the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class announced Wednesday.
—Eric Olson, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Weathers was to face the fearsome Juan González, that year’s eventual AL MVP.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Except… outside Allen himself, this isn’t exactly a fearsome Bills squad.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fearsome
Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2026
Mark Ingram, the first Alabama player to win the Heisman Trophy, and Ndamukong Suh and Aaron Donald, two of the most fearsome defensive linemen of their era, highlight the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class announced Wednesday.
—Eric Olson, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Weathers was to face the fearsome Juan González, that year’s eventual AL MVP.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Except… outside Allen himself, this isn’t exactly a fearsome Bills squad.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fearsome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fearsome
Adjective
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But Isbell runs the race on a stark and formidable solo album and a batting average of six wins for eight nods (prior to this year’s three more).—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
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Van Scoyoc and Cohen will be a formidable one-two duo for Palos Verdes.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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This period of intense study laid the groundwork for what would later become known as the Korean New Wave.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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Shares fell during his time in government but rebounded sharply in December, reaching a record high amid intense market interest in AI.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The siblings have different personalities, according to their keepers; Xiao Xiao is timid while his sister Lei Lei is fearless and adapts to changes quickly.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
25 Jan. 2026
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Oswald’s timid Ludie is gentle, sad and almost childlike in his lack of assertiveness toward his wife.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Pregnancy and birth carry its own battles and terrifying statistics.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
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The editorial board then throws in the new scare tactic for good measure at the end, claiming that there is some terrifying epidemic of puking, screaming and hospitalizations as the result of THC use (relying on spotty data, none of which has been linked to THC beverages).—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Competition remains fierce in the Charlotte region to grab a piece of the lucrative grocery market share.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Jan. 2026
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But long before the fire destroyed a broad section of the San Gabriel Valley community, a small but fierce army of people devoted themselves to others who were without a home.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Director Marianna Bassham loves working on pieces that are a bit scary.—
Courtney Cole,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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George Price wasn’t some scary underworld figure.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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But that depiction was picked apart by a vast array of online onlookers, from law enforcement experts to ordinary Instagram users, some of whom replayed the videos frame by frame and zoomed in to show the episode in frightening detail.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
25 Jan. 2026
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The news this week that CPW employees are facing a variety of threats from radical elements in both groups of Coloradans strikes us as ironic sad — and frightening.—
The Denver Post Editorial Board,
Denver Post,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The tech could have an outsized effect on knowledge workers by automating the repetitive, data-intensive cognitive tasks that typically define those white-collar roles.—
Tom Huddleston Jr.,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
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Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three, was shot earlier this month while sitting in her car, while Alex Pretti, an intensive-care nurse, was killed in a separate encounter just over two weeks later.—
Becca Longmire,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fearsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fearsome. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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