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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of formidable
New York already has its share of formidable restaurants housed in museums.
—
Fiorella Valdesolo, Vogue, 11 June 2026
During his time in office from 1963 to 1969, Johnson was the architect of Medicare, the steward of the Great Society, and one of the most formidable legislators ever to occupy the Oval Office.
—Jean Paul Laurent, Time, 11 June 2026
And while Canada has the moxie to get out of their group, the round of 16 will present formidable opponents.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 11 June 2026
Ford, who is from Clark County, defeated several primary opponents on Tuesday, with his most formidable challenge coming from progressive Alexis Hill.
—Caroline Linton, CBS News, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for formidable
Fiorella Valdesolo, Vogue, 11 June 2026
During his time in office from 1963 to 1969, Johnson was the architect of Medicare, the steward of the Great Society, and one of the most formidable legislators ever to occupy the Oval Office.
—Jean Paul Laurent, Time, 11 June 2026
And while Canada has the moxie to get out of their group, the round of 16 will present formidable opponents.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 11 June 2026
Ford, who is from Clark County, defeated several primary opponents on Tuesday, with his most formidable challenge coming from progressive Alexis Hill.
—Caroline Linton, CBS News, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for formidable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for formidable
Adjective
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Inside the building, a terrifying hourslong ordeal was just beginning for those who couldn’t get out.—
Maria Aguilar Prieto,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
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Some things in life are fundamentally different in ways that no one ever realizes ahead of time, and the amazing feeling of G-forces in my butt, very like flying on the ground, was at once a 10/10 gratifying and terrifying experience.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
JSerra navigated a difficult regular-season schedule, then avoided upsets in the playoffs.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
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But the strength of his acidic, strong, difficult performance was too powerful for the Tonys to deny.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
Adjective
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The frightening encounter began several years ago when her daughter texted her from school complaining of pain just above her belly button.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
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Vampires, deadly disasters, and creeps are among those who help these frightening flicks scare the hell out of audiences.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 June 2026
Adjective
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Inmates challenging execution methods must suggest an alternative method.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
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Lee, who relieved fans by hitting his old high notes on night one, sounded even stronger on night two, gleefully tearing into the most challenging corners of their catalog.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
10 June 2026
Adjective
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Dealing with termites can be a scary burden, and a new report reveals some cities are more termite-prone than others.—
Michael Cappetta,
Travel + Leisure,
8 June 2026
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Flying on Broadway is often scary.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
Adjective
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With the when, where and who will play whom at the 2026 World Cup all locked in, how do the groups rank from the easiest to the toughest?—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
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Opening a restaurant in downtown Boise is a tough racket.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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In 2012, a powerful quake visited terrible damage on the city of Modena, Bottura’s home and host to his restaurant.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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The letter writer’s cousin has cancer, and the chemo gives her terrible side effects.—
Eric Thomas,
Sun Sentinel,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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Simplifi meets rigorous security certifications, such as SOC 2, which are part of a comprehensive external audit that assesses the security, confidentiality and privacy of a program’s data.—
Amy DeYoung,
USA Today,
12 June 2026
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Every article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of financial products.—
Liz Knueven,
CNBC,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Formidable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formidable. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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