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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of formidable
Boreing, Ben Shapiro and Caleb Robinson built The Daily Wire into a formidable player in conservative media.
—
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2026
Incidentally, Penn was up against four formidable fellow actors, including two septuagenarian first-time nominees, Sentimental Value’s Stellan Skarsgard and Sinners’ Lindo.
—Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Mar. 2026
Senior left-hander Nate Brezak (Polk State), senior left-hander Callum Morrison and senior right-hander Luke Pasquesi are a formidable trio.
—Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
The challenge is formidable, said Larisa Brown in The Times.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for formidable
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2026
Incidentally, Penn was up against four formidable fellow actors, including two septuagenarian first-time nominees, Sentimental Value’s Stellan Skarsgard and Sinners’ Lindo.
—Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Mar. 2026
Senior left-hander Nate Brezak (Polk State), senior left-hander Callum Morrison and senior right-hander Luke Pasquesi are a formidable trio.
—Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
The challenge is formidable, said Larisa Brown in The Times.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for formidable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for formidable
Adjective
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The fascinating — and perhaps slightly terrifying — part of this particular season is that both outcomes seem equally possible.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
21 Mar. 2026
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Scary is subjective, but for many people, HHN is terrifying.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The most difficult piece of the puzzle?—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Mar. 2026
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But studying those relationships is difficult, due to the challenges in actually observing social interactions in the shark world.—
BRADY DENNIS THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The findings are stark, even frightening.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
23 Mar. 2026
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During one frightening allergic reaction, her child’s body erupts in hives and her breathing becomes labored, sending the family rushing to emergency care.—
Rhoda Feng,
Vulture,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Palace’s remaining eight games are more challenging than those listed above in terms of the quality of opposition but might, counter-intuitively, offer them a better chance of success as more space opens up to work into during transition.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
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Directed by Lawrence Lamont from a script by Syreeta Singleton — both making their feature debut — the film grossed over $51M worldwide at a challenging time for theatrical comedies and has a sequel in development.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The scariest reality may be that most defense innovation comes from desperation.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
23 Mar. 2026
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Robbing a bank was a bit scary, because the owners of the bank wanted to be in the thing.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The real minutes, tough minutes on the road, stressful.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
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After those seven players, things get a little tough to project.—
Mike Kaye
March 26,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But Kardashian celebrated its terrible reviews, and the series was renewed for a second season.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
26 Mar. 2026
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One hundred fifteen years later, a memorial to the workers who died reveals itself as a reminder that workers’ rights were purchased at a terrible cost, and that the lives lost there still ask something of us.—
Christina Ray Stanton,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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These included funding more rigorous trials for therapies and improving communication devices.—
Allison Parshall,
Scientific American,
20 Mar. 2026
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For the next several hours—the film, though extraordinarily rigorous, is not bound by the strictures of real time—Kornev’s persistence will be met with deflections, delays, and excuses.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Formidable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formidable. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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