formidable

formidable
I
(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)
adj. appalling, tremendous; arduous, Herculean. See fear, difficulty.
II
(Roget's IV) modif.
1. [Inspiring fear or apprehension]
Syn. fearful, forbidding, intimidating, impregnable; see dangerous 1 , 2 , terrible 1 .
2. [Hard to deal with or overcome]
Syn. challenging, arduous, onerous, overwhelming; see difficult 1 .
3. [Inspiring awe or admiration]
Syn. impressive, imposing, awesome, redoubtable; see grand 2 , impressive 1 .
III
(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) (VOCABULARY WORD) a.
[FOR muh duh bul]
an intimidating thing or person that is difficult to face, surmount or overcome.
The rookie boxer met his formidable opponent—the World Heavyweight Champion.
SYN.: intimidating, dreadful, frightening, scary, feared, awesome, difficult, hard, overwhelming, insurmountable, powerful, indomitable, staggering, tough, huge.
ANT.: weak, manageable, tiny, insignificant
IV
(Roget's Thesaurus II) adjective 1. Causing or able to cause fear: appalling, dire, direful, dreadful, fearful, fearsome, frightful, ghastly, redoubtable, scary, terrible, tremendous. See FEAR. 2. Requiring great or extreme bodily, mental, or spiritual strength: arduous, backbreaking, burdensome, demanding, difficult, effortful, exacting, exigent, hard, heavy, laborious, onerous, oppressive, rigorous, rough, severe, taxing, tough, trying, weighty. See HEAVY.

English dictionary for students. 2013.

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Synonyms:
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Look at other dictionaries:

  • formidable — [ fɔrmidabl ] adj. • v. 1537; h. 1392; lat. formidabilis, de formidare « craindre, redouter » 1 ♦ Vieilli Qui inspire ou est de nature à inspirer une grande crainte. ⇒ effrayant, épouvantable, redoutable, terrible. « Son aspect était formidable… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • formidable — adjetivo 1. (ser / estar, antepuesto / pospuesto) Que es extraordinario o magnífico por ser grande, bueno o agradable: Su casa es formidable. Desde que haces gimnasia estás formidable. Luis es un formidable amigo. He pasado una tarde formidable.… …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • formidable — FORMIDABLE. adj. de t.g. Redoutable, qui est à craindre, C est un homme formidable. c est la chose du monde la plus formidable. une puissance formidable. des troupes formidables. il s est rendu formidable par la rapidité de ses conquestes …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Formidable — For mi*da*ble, a. [L. formidabilis, fr. formidare to fear, dread: cf. F. formidable.] Exciting fear or apprehension; impressing dread; adapted to excite fear and deter from approach, encounter, or undertaking; alarming. [1913 Webster] They seemed …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • formidable — (adj.) mid 15c., from M.Fr. formidable (15c.), from L. formidabilis causing fear, terrible, from formidare to fear, from formido fearfulness, fear, terror, dread. Related: Formidably …   Etymology dictionary

  • formidable — [adj1] horrible, terrifying appalling, awful, dangerous, daunting, dire, dismaying, dreadful, fearful, fierce, frightful, horrific, imposing, impregnable, intimidating, menacing, redoubtable, shocking, terrible, terrific, threatening; concept 537 …   New thesaurus

  • formidable — I adjective alarming, appalling, arduous, awe inspiring, awesome, dangerous, deterring, difficult, disturbing, dreadful, exciting fear, fear inspiring, fearful, fierce, formidolosus, frightening, frightful, hard to overcome, horrible, horrifying …   Law dictionary

  • formidable — The standard pronunciation is with the stress on the first syllable, although the word is often heard with the stress on the second syllable …   Modern English usage

  • formidable — (Del lat. formidabĭlis). 1. adj. Muy temible y que infunde asombro y miedo. 2. Excesivamente grande en su línea. 3. coloq. magnífico …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • formidable — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, or capable. DERIVATIVES formidably adverb. ORIGIN Latin formidabilis, from formidare to fear …   English terms dictionary

  • formidable — [fôr′mə də bəl, fôr mid′ə bəl] adj. [ME < OFr < L formidabilis < formidare, to fear, dread < formido, fear < IE * mormo , to feel horror > Gr mormoros, fear] 1. causing fear or dread 2. hard to handle or overcome 3. awe… …   English World dictionary

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