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
Among other reasons, with 30 more days to heal, rearm, and fill its coffers with tolls, Iran will be a more formidable adversary.
—
Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
The return of Wheeler now gives the Phillies a formidable rotation of Sanchez, Wheeler, right-hander Andrew Painter, lefty Jesus Luzardo, and righty Aaron Nola.
—Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Lace, Susie, Jinx, and Shyanne join Margo and Bodhi at the courthouse, and their circle, while small, is formidable compared to Mark’s.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 20 May 2026
The Golden Knights are a formidable opponent.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for formidable
Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
The return of Wheeler now gives the Phillies a formidable rotation of Sanchez, Wheeler, right-hander Andrew Painter, lefty Jesus Luzardo, and righty Aaron Nola.
—Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Lace, Susie, Jinx, and Shyanne join Margo and Bodhi at the courthouse, and their circle, while small, is formidable compared to Mark’s.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 20 May 2026
The Golden Knights are a formidable opponent.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for formidable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for formidable
Adjective
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The tech is terrifying, but it’s treated matter-of-factly, played for barked laughs.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
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Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette star as the main couple, Bear and Nikki, who fall victim to the One Wish Willow, a wish-granting toy with terrifying results.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
16 May 2026
Adjective
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When Thomson went through a difficult divorce, in 2014, Djena would often check in on her, showing up at her door with food.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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Crow-Armstrong had just failed to make a highly difficult, leaping catch at the wall.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
Adjective
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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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Essential in this most challenging of environments.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 May 2026
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That’s what will make the job challenging and difficult.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
Adjective
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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
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Each of those teams will be competing for playoff spots again, leaving the Raiders with no easy divisional wins and a tough out-of-division schedule.—
Sam Warren,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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The group did just enough against Sale and a tough Braves bullpen to avoid getting shut out for the third time in five games.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
Residents describe ‘a terrible night’ More than 30 people were injured in the apartment building collapse, while emergency workers rescued 28 residents, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.—
Samya Kullab,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
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And some were not kind to him on social media following the terrible first round.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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For decades, the legal profession has maintained strict boundaries around who can provide services in the form of licenses that require professionals to undergo significant schooling and rigorous testing.—
Robert Scott,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
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Every article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors.—
John Csiszar,
CNBC,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Formidable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formidable. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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