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
Minnesota moves from facing a team with zero rim protection to the NBA’s most fearsome shot blocker.
—
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 2 May 2026
Michael Shannon, who played the fearsome General Zod in Superman, is a Chicago native who has been coming to the stand for years.
—Jimmy Jellinek, SPIN, 27 Apr. 2026
The third season showed two galactic powers coming together to fight a fearsome warlord known as The Mule (Pilou Asbæk).
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026
In November of 2021, the Indicator reached just over that fearsome benchmark, then tumbled 19%.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fearsome
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 2 May 2026
Michael Shannon, who played the fearsome General Zod in Superman, is a Chicago native who has been coming to the stand for years.
—Jimmy Jellinek, SPIN, 27 Apr. 2026
The third season showed two galactic powers coming together to fight a fearsome warlord known as The Mule (Pilou Asbæk).
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026
In November of 2021, the Indicator reached just over that fearsome benchmark, then tumbled 19%.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fearsome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fearsome
Adjective
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The reigning Super Bowl MVP was brought aboard as the Chiefs look to reestablish a formidable, dangerous run game.—
Pete Sweeney
May 22,
Kansas City Star,
22 May 2026
-
Pitt nabbed the iconic part, which Clooney wasn't thrilled about, but what followed was a formidable friendship that has continued on- and off-screen.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
There is a brightness and its opposite, not darkness but another brightness, just as intense.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
-
Paxton voters are more intense in their contempt for Cornyn than vice versa.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
Your favorite team probably doesn’t use them much, if at all, because they’re considered extremely difficult and most GMs are timid babies who are afraid of getting yelled at.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
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That bill is a direct response to a Supreme Court that handed the executive branch a dangerous blank check and a Congress too timid to push back.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
For Orlo Vista residents, the disaster unfolded with terrifying speed.—
Greg Bennett,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 May 2026
-
Nicholls opened Rockwater not long after Cyclone Pam, a terrifying storm that churned through Vanuatu and inflicted $600 million in damage.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
Adjective
-
Elsewhere, Juventus was roundly jeered after losing 2-0 at home to fierce rivals Fiorentina, while Como held on for a 1-0 win over Parma to leave Cesc Fàbregas’ team still in with a chance of qualifying for the Champions League just seven years after playing in Italy's fourth division.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 May 2026
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In the remote native villages of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, on the coast of the Bering Sea, Halong’s fierce flooding lifted homes off their foundations and carried them down a river with people still inside.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
Adjective
-
Part of what makes Nikki so scary is that these intense moments seem to come out of nowhere.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
18 May 2026
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Two friends from Auburn and Berkeley were meeting halfway for a picnic in Sacramento but said even driving there in the strong wind was scary.—
Kayla Moeller,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
Eidinger is perfect for the role, and his escalating temper tantrums — almost camp at first, with delicious echoes of Christoph Waltz’s Hans Landa — become frightening in their intensity.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
18 May 2026
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But at Medley Club, residents never lost power during the entire frightening ordeal.—
Jeffrey Steele,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Adjective
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The intensive land use required to grow corn for ethanol has its own effects on water quality and fertilizer use as well, Runge says.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
22 May 2026
-
Upstairs, in the third-floor intensive-care unit, nurse Tammy Fritchey, a 27-year-veteran, places blankets and pillows over patients who are too sick to move, the ones on ventilators.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fearsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fearsome. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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