1
as in terrifying
causing fear
the school's seniors faced the intimidating prospect of the college entrance exams
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
as in frightening
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of intimidating
Jen Juneau, People.com, 17 Feb. 2025
While these strengths are impressive and somewhat intimidating, human workers are not without their own robust capabilities that AI systems cannot easily replicate:
Creativity and imagination.
—Brent Dykes, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Guy Lodge, Variety, 12 Dec. 2024
Well, doing a guest star role is always intimidating.
—Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for intimidating
Adjective
Dressed in armor and a cape and coordinating headpiece fit for a Greek hero, Damon, 54, strikes an intimidating, brooding side-profile pose in the snapshot.
—Jen Juneau, People.com, 17 Feb. 2025
While these strengths are impressive and somewhat intimidating, human workers are not without their own robust capabilities that AI systems cannot easily replicate:
Creativity and imagination.
—Brent Dykes, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Verb
No standard-issue heartthrob, Law began his career as a veritable emblem of intimidating, unattainable, sometimes self-sabotaging male beauty.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 12 Dec. 2024
Well, doing a guest star role is always intimidating.
—Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for intimidating
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intimidating
Adjective
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Back in August, Renner spoke about how his terrifying snowplow accident in January 2023 led to his daughter becoming a little more independent.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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The terrifying predicament happened Sunday, March 23, in a wooded area off Interstate 10 in LaPlace, the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a March 26 news release.—
Mark Price,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This was the puzzle: The Torch and the Treasure A Bridge Puzzle of Strategy, Speed... and Stolen Gold Five daring fantasy thieves—a nimble Elf, a sneaky Goblin, a fleet-footed Satyr, a gruff Dwarf, and a hulking Troll—have just pulled off the heist of the century.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
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Could this gruff old man playing mahjong in a nondescript hall be a curious gambler on the last boat up the Mekong, laughing in the face of Edward’s existential crisis?—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Good news California began trying to police ghost guns after those frightening findings came out, enacting legislation in both 2022 and 2023 to curtail their unregulated sales.—
Anita Chabria,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2025
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But the bloodshed that unfolded March 6-10 in Latakia and Tartous represents a frightening escalation.—
Chris Massaro,
Fox News,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The Jackson estate explicitly wanted nothing about Chandler in the film, so fact that the allegations do appear has led to a fierce internal dispute and extensive reshoots, Deadline has confirmed.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2025
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The sky-high prices caused fierce backlash against Ticketmaster, the country’s biggest ticketing website and concert promoter, from lawmakers who accused the company of acting as a monopoly.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Instead, there was a fast, tough, physical team flying around and making big-time plays, bullying the big-boy Tar Heels.—
Kels Dayton,
Hartford Courant,
30 Dec. 2024
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LeBron James scored 32 points one game after setting the NBA’s all-time minutes record for regular-season games, bullying the Kings on the offensive end while grabbing four steals on the defensive end.—
Dan Woike,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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In the great-power competition with the United States’ adversaries, none is more formidable than the Chinese Communist Party.—
Arthur Herman,
National Review,
3 Apr. 2025
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Tyler Glasnow is formidable on the mound when healthy.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Fifteen games have passed since, cementing Deepdale as one of the sternest away trips in the English Football League.—
Sam Tighe,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
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Subplots like his minority investment in the sleazy nightclub The Snakehole Lounge afforded him the opportunity to showcase a stunning variety of little coats, unlike Scott, whose stern and straight-laced state auditor Ben Wyatt seemingly never changes into anything less formal.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The scary part is how quickly and naturally this thinking could extend to current employees.—
Roger Dooley,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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The scariest unknown for women with cancer, after the disease itself, can be their husbands—a staggering number of whom abandon their wives in the wake of a diagnosis.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Intimidating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intimidating. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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