formidable

Intermediatezipf 3.65

Pronunciation

/ˈfɔːrmɪdəbl/(FOR-mih-duh-bl)

Part of speech

adjectiveneutral

Chinese

令人敬畏的；强大的；难以对付的

Definition

Inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, or capable; difficult to overcome.

Word family

  • formidably/ˈfɔːrmɪdəbli/(adv)可怕地

Collocations

  • formidable opponent
  • formidable challenge
  • formidable task
  • formidable reputation
  • formidable barrier

Examples

  1. 1.She was a formidable debater — few dared to challenge her in public. (impressively capable)
  2. 2.The team faces the formidable task of rebuilding the entire database from scratch. (daunting)

Synonyms

  • daunting/ˈdɔːntɪŋ/— making one feel intimidated
  • imposing/ɪmˈpoʊzɪŋ/— impressive in size or appearance
  • intimidating/ɪnˈtɪmɪdeɪtɪŋ/— making one feel frightened

Etymology

from Latin "formidabilis" (fearful) — "formido" (fear, dread)