formidable

adjective

ˈfȯr-mə-də-bəl How to pronounce formidable (audio)
Definition of formidablenext
1
as in terrifying
causing fear a formidable, irascible old man who frightened the neighborhood children

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort running a marathon is a formidable undertaking

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of formidable Direct-to-Consumer Pete Distad, CEO of FOX Direct-to-Consumer, has built a strong team and has developed, launched, and grown FOX One into a formidable consumer offering. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2026 And then there’s the townsfolk, who may not always be as colorful as the woman demanding free water, but who share her fair yet formidable spirit. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2026 This turned out to be a formidable weapon for Democrats, many of whom made energy costs central to their campaigns. — Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026 Sewell will be a tough matchup for Uche to win straight up, and Miller has been formidable at right tackle, making for a solid battle against Robinson. — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for formidable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for formidable
  1. terrifying
  2. difficult
  3. frightening
  4. challenging
  5. scary
  6. tough
  7. terrible
  8. rigorous
Adjective
  • Robertson and Sepulveda play two friends who travel to a remote Italian village to settle a family estate, where their trip spirals into a deadly game of deception at the hands of a charming hunter with a terrifying secret (Armitage).
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2026
  • In the last two minutes of the flight, Filgueiras shifted from calmly communicating with air traffic controllers to calling out terrifying updates as the plane plummeted.
    — Josh Funk, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of terrifying
Adjective
  • The pilot must compensate manually using the controller, which can be difficult if the aircraft is far away or difficult to see.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The chocolatey all-suede style was first released in October 2023 and has become increasingly difficult to track down over the years, with certain sizes commanding premium prices on the secondary market.
    — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of difficult
Adjective
  • The frightening part is that almost anyone can end up on the wrong side of these systems.
    — Edward Longe, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Sussman remembers the 1999 Glastonbury Festival as both frightening and unforgettable.
    — Maribeth Romslo, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of frightening
Adjective
  • Manufacturing electronic devices from it remains difficult, particularly because reliably controlling its electrical properties through doping is challenging.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Porter knew Friday’s game would be a challenging one against the Tillers.
    — Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of challenging
Adjective
  • Detroit has a top-10 rushing defense, although that defense will be without middle linebacker Jack Campbell after a scary neck injury last week.
    — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Thursday’s stock sell-off looked scary — but some Wall Street analysts believe the dramatic decline might be just what the stock market needed after a monthslong run-up sent shares to dizzying heights.
    — Rob Wile, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of scary
Adjective
  • The Heat now returns home, but the competition is about to get tougher.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Councilwoman Willis has been a tough negotiator, challenging us to work with the City of Dallas transportation department to identify and fund meaningful traffic enhancements.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of tough
Adjective
  • The bat lay on its back, soggy and wretched, here in the waning hours of this terrible day.
    — Téa Obreht, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026
  • An ugly fight between teammates during training camp was a terrible start to a season that officially began with a loss against North Carolina, a game in Dublin that TCU essentially sold, against the desires of Dykes.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • Under 1% leave during the rigorous six-month SEAL Qualification Training course, which is the final leg of the pipeline before they are assigned to a SEAL team.
    — James LaPorta, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The agreement capped Iran’s uranium enrichment levels, reduced its operational centrifuge numbers, required Iran to repurpose its nuclear weapons development facilities, and established more rigorous international inspections to verify compliance.
    — S. C. M. Paine, Foreign Affairs, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of rigorous

Browse Nearby Words

formidability
formidable
forming
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Cite this Entry

“Formidable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formidable. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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