1
as in terrifying
causing fear
a formidable, irascible old man who frightened the neighborhood children
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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
Williams, 62, previously headed Apple's formidable operations division, which is in charge of manufacturing millions of complicated devices like iPhones, while keeping costs down.
—
Kif Leswing, CNBC, 8 July 2025
Rose will likely face off against a formidable opponent in U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee.
—Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
But Martone is one of the very best prospects in this draft and gives the Flyers size, high-end skill (he’s got plus traits as a shooter, handler and playmaker), and a formidable one-two punch at right wing with Matvei Michkov.
—Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 27 June 2025
The actress portrayed formidable sensei Kim Da-Eun on the Netflix series that ended in February after six seasons.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for formidable
Kif Leswing, CNBC, 8 July 2025
Rose will likely face off against a formidable opponent in U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee.
—Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
But Martone is one of the very best prospects in this draft and gives the Flyers size, high-end skill (he’s got plus traits as a shooter, handler and playmaker), and a formidable one-two punch at right wing with Matvei Michkov.
—Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 27 June 2025
The actress portrayed formidable sensei Kim Da-Eun on the Netflix series that ended in February after six seasons.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for formidable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for formidable
Adjective
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For Bertram, whose family winery has roots deep in the terraced vineyards of the valley, the night was a blur of frantic decisions and terrifying uncertainty.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
13 July 2025
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But this is still grand blockbuster filmmaking: The scene where bombs explode across Gotham is as memorable and terrifying as anything in the series.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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James is playing the final year of his contract at $52.6 million, which is a very difficult number for teams to pay.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 July 2025
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The fire is in difficult country with access issues and firefighters are evaluating options for the right flank and head of the fire.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
5 July 2025
Adjective
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Moreover, if their environment is unpredictable, frightening, or volatile, some children learn that any disagreement could lead to danger and try to bury their feelings to avoid conflict and maintain a sense of peace.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Parents,
7 July 2025
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The great outdoors can be a big and frightening place, especially for cats who have only seen it from the safety of the great indoors.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
7 July 2025
Adjective
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The producer said getting his hands on an original copy of the Carter song on LP proved challenging, and expensive, signaling a cult following for such music.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
9 July 2025
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Figuring out what that number is can be quite challenging as the issue is twofold: the company's cash needs and your own personal reserves, which are separate.—
Kristin McKenna,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
Adjective
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The filmmakers used the sounds of babies crying to make a scary noise In the film, the bad people go to a bad afterlife, and they’re taken there by creepy, inky shadow things.—
Drew Mackie,
People.com,
13 July 2025
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He’s got that leading-man energy that, for that part, was just super-fun, this very scary, almost James Bond villain, or Mission: Impossible.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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With one out, however, Ohtani was thrown at the plate trying to score from third on Pages’ chopper up the line — making an aggressive, but proper, read in a game in which the Dodgers had long before conceded that runs would be tough to come by.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 July 2025
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Morton, 43, may take that advice under serious consideration, mentioning how tough the fans – and even fellow cast members – have been on her following this past season’s cast trip to Grenada.—
John Lawson,
Essence,
9 July 2025
Adjective
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Vegas bounced back from a terrible loss to the Fever with an 86-68 win over the Sun on Sunday.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
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And because of that, it’s shielded us from the terrible things that happen downstream in the supply chain.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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The loss of trustworthiness in the rigorous and nonpartisan work of the Task Force would devastate patients, hospital systems, and payers as misinformation creates barriers to accessing lifesaving and cost effective care.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
11 July 2025
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Before a potential controller can even step foot in the academy, there’s a rigorous application and qualification process.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Formidable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formidable. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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