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

Relevance

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 Spain's formidable defense has propelled them into the World Cup final against defending champions Argentina. — Michael Lewis, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026 Iran has proven to be a far more formidable foe than initially anticipated, and Keir Simmons tells me why the fight is over control of the Strait of Hormuz — not Iran’s nuclear program. — Yasmin Vossoughian, NBC news, 16 July 2026 The startup plans to assemble a formidable sales team after years of having customers sign themselves up. — Jordan Novet, CNBC, 16 July 2026 But after episode 4, his machinations and power plays have come to light, setting him up as the next formidable adversary to the new queen — and the latest focus of the fandom’s memes. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 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
  • Set thousands of years in the future, the Blight has wiped out most of civilization, and while the name sounds gruesome and terrifying, the Blight itself is verdant and filled with flowers.
    — Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • The trailer shows Depp as Scrooge tormented by the terrifying spirits of Christmas, haunting him throughout the Christmas season.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 23 July 2026
Definition of terrifying
Adjective
  • Unlike dogs, they cannot simply be taken on longer walks, often resist dietary changes, and can be difficult to medicate consistently, making GLP-1 therapies potentially attractive if clinical trials prove successful.
    — Elsa Ohlen,Carolin Roth, CNBC, 18 July 2026
  • Their stories recount the devastation to homes and businesses, life in temporary shelters, and the difficult process of rebuilding or relocating.
    — Michelle Oliva-Espinosa, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026
Definition of difficult
Adjective
  • However, changing the Social Security formula to a means-testing base, and applying it immediately to all existing Social Security recipients, is a frightening idea.
    — U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 July 2026
  • Panettiere's pregnancy was marked by a series of frightening health scares.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of frightening
Adjective
  • The method also relies on multiple Bell tests and assumptions about independent quantum sources, which could make large-scale implementation challenging.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 18 July 2026
  • His 15-point first half Thursday included two threes, a high-degree-of-difficulty turnaround jumper and another challenging jumper.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026
Definition of challenging
Adjective
  • Penned by Aguirre-Sacasa based on the Archie Comics characters, Afterlife with Archie turns the all-American town of Riverdale into a zombie-overrun apocalypse — where the only thing scarier than the undead is trying to survive your teenage years.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 20 July 2026
  • Scary allegations are not the whole story If voters listened to Trump’s speech without the benefits of fact-checkers or even Google, things sound really, really scary.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 17 July 2026
Definition of scary
Adjective
  • There were tough conversations between Naylor and Cleveland’s coaches and front office.
    — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • Villegas, after a tough primary election battle against Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, has roughly $572,000.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of tough
Adjective
  • Why do some people stay in terrible, horrible, no good, very bad jobs?
    — Joseph Kim, NPR, 22 July 2026
  • Three years ago, Victor Wembanyama was terrible, and Houston’s Cam Whitmore won Summer MVP.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • Then again, allowing American companies to sell BPC-157 for human use could create the impression that the peptide, which hasn’t passed through the rigorous process the FDA uses to approve new drugs, nonetheless has the agency’s blessing.
    — Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026
  • Hydrogen requires specialized storage systems, dedicated airport infrastructure, and rigorous safety standards.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 24 July 2026
Definition of rigorous

Browse Nearby Words

formidability
formidable
forming
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Formidable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formidable. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on formidable

Nglish: Translation of formidable for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All