intimidating 1 of 2

adjective

in-ˈti-mə-ˌdā-tiŋ How to pronounce intimidating (audio)
Definition of intimidatingnext
1
as in terrifying
causing fear the school's seniors faced the intimidating prospect of the college entrance exams

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gruff
harsh and threatening in manner or appearance an intimidating bodyguard keeping the fans away from the pop star

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

intimidating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of intimidate
as in bullying
to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats refusing to be intimidated by the manager's harsh stare, I demanded my money back

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 intimidating
Adjective
The company blends the visual identity of the larger XSR family with modern entry-level components, shrinking the basic ingredients into a package that's easier to ride, cheaper to run, and far less intimidating. — New Atlas, 20 Aug. 2026 Art can make difficult conversations less intimidating by giving people something tangible to discuss, Corona said. — Donnisa Edmonds, jsonline.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Verb
How to Implement Quiet Luxury Decor at Home While the name may sound intimidating, the good news is that this trend isn’t about spending in excess or investing in expensive items. — Shivani Vyas, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Sep. 2026 Rather than risk navigating intimidating road layouts or unpredictable traffic, some riders are choosing to take longer routes. — Christian Cervantes, AZCentral.com, 18 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for intimidating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intimidating
  1. terrifying
  2. gruff
  3. bullying
  4. frightening
  5. fierce
  6. scaring
  7. formidable
  8. stern
Adjective
  • As an actress, a character like that was thrilling and terrifying.
    — William Earl, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Alas, Hersh was to miss the flight because he was still being held hostage, starving, tortured, and surviving on that date in terrifying confinement.
    — Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrifying
Adjective
  • We were taught by a gruff cockney called Fred Waring, who had participated in the D-Day landings in a regiment that had fought its way across Europe towards Berlin and liberated the concentration camp at Belsen.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Sep. 2026
  • His only hope to get home turns out to be Nick (Kenneth Branagh), a gruff ex-KGB agent who loves American pop culture and is really good in a fight.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of gruff
Verb
  • Concerns over bullying on campus, as well as a lack of security, have also been raised.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Grande had been the subject of a wave of speculation, concern and bullying regarding her physical appearance following images of the actress-singer going viral in late July.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of bullying
Adjective
  • Josh, much of the social media conversation around people seeing The Odyssey in theaters was about the frightening Other Mommy trailer playing ahead of it.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026
  • My Broken Brain follows three young survivors through the most frightening days of their lives and the grueling journey back to independence.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of frightening
Adjective
  • The rare show of alignment among fierce rivals was soon countered by comments from Meta’s Zuckerberg and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, both of whom dismissed the slowdown idea.
    — Alyson Shontell, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The book and series focus on the complicated romance of Canadian hockey prodigy Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Russian phenom Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), who are the fierce on-ice rivals and the league’s best players.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of fierce
Verb
  • Although the pace of home sales have remained largely unchanged this year compared to last year, according to NAR data through August, there are some signs that higher mortgage rates have started scaring off some buyers.
    — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026
  • For their final lesson, a volunteer — who isn't Woodside or Priest — traps the raccoons in cages, scaring them enough to encourage them to avoid traps and humans.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of scaring
Adjective
  • Guests lingered over cocktails, lauding Ghesquière’s formidable creative prowess, personal warmth and loyalty.
    — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Let a Hundred Websites Bloom The Internet and the smartphone have become formidable tools for the Chinese government to maintain tight control over society.
    — Conor Heffernan, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of formidable
Adjective
  • As the Pacific Princess’ Captain Stubing, Gavin MacLeod played the stern yet beloved authority figure better than many might’ve expected, given how closely he’d become associated with comedy by that point.
    — Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The new trailer for Paper Tiger transfers this dynamic onto the scene of a rehabilitation project for New York City’s Gowanus Canal, resulting in far graver consequences than a stern talking-to from mom.
    — Isabella Albaig, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of stern

Browse Nearby Words

intimidates
intimidating
intimidation
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Intimidating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intimidating. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of etiquette

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All