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
San Francisco is one game back in the fearsome NL West.
—
Chris Branch, New York Times, 19 May 2025
Naperville Central senior first baseman Jamie Saran is a fearsome slugger in the eyes of opposing pitchers.
—Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025
In Memory of a Killer, Angelo Ledda lives two totally separate lives — fearsome NYC hitman and sleepy upstate Cooperstown photocopier salesman and father.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 12 May 2025
The sight of Richard Parker, a growling behemoth of musculature and whiskers, is the most fearsome.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fearsome
Chris Branch, New York Times, 19 May 2025
Naperville Central senior first baseman Jamie Saran is a fearsome slugger in the eyes of opposing pitchers.
—Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025
In Memory of a Killer, Angelo Ledda lives two totally separate lives — fearsome NYC hitman and sleepy upstate Cooperstown photocopier salesman and father.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 12 May 2025
The sight of Richard Parker, a growling behemoth of musculature and whiskers, is the most fearsome.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fearsome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fearsome
Adjective
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Sinha’s strategic interventions have substantially scaled up businesses, powering a formidable sales pipeline by assisting the company in landing enterprise-level engagements.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
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Everything points to the fact that Karolína’s exceptional talent has caught the attention of the formidable and much admired choirmaster.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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And, believe it or not, Europe does have air conditioning, which can be quite an intense shift when moving between the outdoors into coach buses or stores.—
Gregory Robinson,
Travel + Leisure,
31 May 2025
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The auto-revive for solo players on Night Lords is to combat the intense difficulties of those fights where a single wrong move can be death.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
Adjective
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The slope of that ramp makes Pike’s Peak look timid.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 May 2025
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The confident smile the until then timid Giulio wears on his face as a result is equally cliched.—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
25 May 2025
Adjective
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More: Ukraine drone attack shows familiar-looking drones can be terrifying weapons How does the Pentagon, which spends nearly a trillion dollars a year on defense, have such a vulnerability?—
Tom Vanden Brook,
USA Today,
8 June 2025
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An apocalyptic wasteland ruled by savage bands of outlaws or a horny computer dork's bedroom — which is more terrifying?—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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The feedback was fierce—storyboards dismantled, ideas shredded—but the environment was psychologically safe.—
Ann Kowal Smith,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
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Caron was used to seeing my fiery side, the fierce competitor, the demanding coach.—
Jim Calhoun with Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
31 May 2025
Adjective
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Make that the second scariest, as Claire’s antics bring another menacing character into their lives, when her dealer, Jackie (Domhnall Gleeson), shows up at Echo Valley looking for 10 grand in heroin.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
7 June 2025
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Not only is sitting on the potty all by yourself a little bit scary, but nobody likes putting play to a stop to use the potty, either.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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The ensuing action is gory and frightening — and even Wong got a little spooked by Hawkins.—
Eric Andersson,
People.com,
31 May 2025
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This is incredibly damaging to career prospects and, given how little knowledge exists in mainstream medical and occupational health circles, can feel confusing and frightening for those who don’t know where to turn for advice.—
Nancy Doyle,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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Ware picked up all the cases while on intensive supervised release after serving three years and three months for aiding and abetting first-degree robbery out of Hennepin County.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
6 June 2025
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Russia used a Tu-160 in intensive overnight missile and drone strikes across Ukraine, Kyiv's air force said on Friday.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fearsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fearsome. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
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