formidable
pronunciation
How to pronounce formidable in British English:
UK [fəˈmɪdəbl]
How to pronounce formidable in American English:
US [ˈfɔːrmɪdəbl]
-
- Adjective:
- extremely impressive in strength or excellence
- inspiring fear
Word Origin
- formidable
- formidable: [15] Latin formīdō meant ‘fear’ (it may have links with Greek mormó ‘bugbear, goblin’, which came from an Indo-European *mormo). From it was derived the verb formīdāre, which in turn produced the adjective formīdābilis, which English originally acquired in the literal sense ‘inspiring fear’. The weaker ‘impressive in size, difficulty, etc’ is a 17thcentury development.
- formidable (adj.)
- mid-15c., "causing fear," from Middle French formidable (15c.), from Latin formidabilis "causing fear, terrible," from formidare "to fear," from formido "fearfulness, fear, terror, dread." Sense has softened somewhat over time, in the direction of "so great (in strength, size, etc.) as to discourage effort." Related: Formidably.
Synonym
Example
- 1. Displacing such a formidable machine will be extremely difficult .
- 2. He will inherit a confluence of formidable challenges .
- 3. So much for the formidable problems facing dedicated libertarians .
- 4. Yet the obstacles to change are formidable .
- 5. Despite its formidable nuclear arsenal , it is no longer a military superpower .