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 And as formidable as Seydoux can be, the character isn’t so much heartbreakingly conflicted as she is oddly muddled and underdeveloped. — Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026 But the stakes are raised when Mayor Ellis (Tommy Miles) brings in Largesse Productions, a national events planning company owned by the formidable Tate (Jenifer Lewis), in an effort to bring jobs and money back to the ailing town. — Rachel Labonte, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026 Buckner and Odighizuwa together form a formidable interior rushing duo. — Daniel Popper, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2026 The 77-year-old has survived political defeats before, only to come back stronger, but a groundswell of opposition could make this one of the most formidable challenges of his political career. — Matt Bradley, NBC news, 26 Oct. 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
  • Malerman’s truly terrifying horror novel, 2024’s Incidents Around the House, upon which Other Mommy is based, tells the tale of struggling married couple Ursula and Ross and their young daughter, Bela.
    — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Scottie’s punishing, smothering treatment of Judy, who bears much more than a passing resemblance to Madeleine, borders on truly terrifying to many women watching the film.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrifying
Adjective
  • Jarman, who came in as the defending champion on the event, put together a more difficult routine but was nicked by judges for his execution.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • This is the last remaining game on the schedule that should be very difficult.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of difficult
Adjective
  • As the frightening phantom of Frank the Bunny warns, this parallel reality has a ticking clock that’ll result in its imminent collapse in just 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • For neighbors, the crash brought a frightening interruption to an otherwise routine afternoon.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of frightening
Adjective
  • Such calculations are part of a wider effort to understand why molecular simulations remain challenging.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • But the shift in college athletics has required an internal reconciling that is even more challenging than the external education.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of challenging
Adjective
  • Bad dreams – like scary stories – work as fire drills for the developing brain.
    — Liz Rosenberg, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2026
  • There, shortly after fully participating in a practice as if nothing ever happened, the rookie linebacker recapped the scenes from perhaps the scariest moment of his football career three days prior.
    — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of scary
Adjective
  • Winning means making much tougher decisions about what to put on the floor.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Flournoy made some tough grabs downfield, and Lamb punctuated the night with two touchdown grabs.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of tough
Adjective
  • His teams are terrible just before halftime, having been outscored 107-6 in the coach's 24 games.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • If the purpose of buying a suit were merely obtaining clothing, three fittings would be terrible service.
    — Anna van Praagh, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • The chemicals subject to the new policy haven’t gone through that rigorous vetting process.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Every insurance article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of financial products.
    — Liz Knueven, CNBC, 27 Oct. 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 2 Nov. 2026.

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