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
My House - Flo Rida The task at hand, however, is nothing but formidable: While neither FEMA nor the state provide figures on how many homes will need to be elevated, Scott puts the estimate at as many as 2 million buildings.
—
Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 21 May 2025
In the second round, New York faced the formidable No. 2 seed Boston Celtics, a team many believed was primed for another title run.
—Ricardo Klein, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
There are a couple reasons that new grads find salary negotiations so formidable, says Janelle Sallenave, Chime’s chief spending officer.
—Sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 20 May 2025
Somehow, despite the formidable verticality of its elevator ride, Manhatta has become a viable date-night spot, or a place to grab (admittedly fancy) after-work drinks.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for formidable
Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 21 May 2025
In the second round, New York faced the formidable No. 2 seed Boston Celtics, a team many believed was primed for another title run.
—Ricardo Klein, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
There are a couple reasons that new grads find salary negotiations so formidable, says Janelle Sallenave, Chime’s chief spending officer.
—Sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 20 May 2025
Somehow, despite the formidable verticality of its elevator ride, Manhatta has become a viable date-night spot, or a place to grab (admittedly fancy) after-work drinks.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for formidable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for formidable
Adjective
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The family eventually crosses paths with a corrupt theme-park operator (John Ortiz), his sheriff (Colin Hanks) and a terrifying crime boss (Sharon Stone) before chaos ensues.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
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The additional terrifying factor was that the plane had only three minutes of fuel left — and Cruise had still not gotten up.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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Two of Elissa’s tumors were obliterated that day, but the third was too difficult to reach without repositioning Elissa’s body in a way that would have taken too much time under anesthesia.—
Kristen Jordan Shamus,
USA Today,
19 May 2025
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Proving such social behaviors is extraordinarily difficult without a large amount of data.—
Jay Kakade
May 18,
New Atlas,
18 May 2025
Adjective
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Major cities like New York were already facing frightening death tolls that climbed higher each day—but that’s not what Eddington is about.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
17 May 2025
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And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought.—
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 May 2025
Adjective
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In this one-man show, Whitfield steps onstage not just as a performer, but as a guide—challenging, inspiring, and activating the ABFF community to transform their pain into purpose.—
DeMicia Inman,
VIBE.com,
22 May 2025
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The new bill, advocates said, is also expected to be particularly challenging for Native Americans who rely on tribal cards for identification ‒ which typically don't include place of birth, as the new law requires.—
Deborah Barfield Berry,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Every celebrity — no matter how small — had at least one stalker or someone obsessed with them, and no fan was creepier or scarier than the ones obsessed with child stars.—
Lizz Schumer,
People.com,
14 May 2025
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Here’s a scary scenario: You’ve been put in charge of air traffic control at Newark airport near New York.—
Steve Nadis,
Quanta Magazine,
12 May 2025
Adjective
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Being a careless jackass but also irresistibly charming is a tough needle to thread.—
Staff Author Published,
EW.com,
22 May 2025
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Johnson has been on a winning streak this year with Trump in the White House and backing him repeatedly to muscle through a series of very tough votes on the slimmest of majorities.—
Christian Datoc,
The Washington Examiner,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Djokovic knew he’d be seeded to play one of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev or Taylor Fritz in the quarters, and in the end landed Zverev, which isn’t a terrible outcome, but would leave him with a possible Sinner-Alcaraz double bill in the semifinals and final to lift the trophy.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
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One night the fish was very overcooked and covered with a terrible sauce.—
Sheah Rarback,
Miami Herald,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Hall, a former college football player, is quite the athlete and also gives fans a look into his rigorous workout regimen, which Khaled joined him for.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
23 May 2025
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The Bee has a rigorous policy relating to requests for anonymity.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Formidable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formidable. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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