Formidable
Formidable adjective - Causing fear.
Usage example: a formidable, irascible old man who frightened the neighborhood children
Intimidating is a synonym for formidable in participle topic. In some cases you can use "Intimidating" instead an adjective "Formidable", when it comes to topics like difficult, horrible. popular alternative
Nearby Word: formidably
Intimidating
Intimidating adjective - Causing fear.
Usage example: the intimidating prospect of the college entrance exams
Formidable is a synonym for intimidating. You can use "Formidable" instead an adjective "Intimidating". popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
- terrible and formidable
- terrible and intimidating
- dreadful and formidable
- dreadful and intimidating
- frightful and formidable
- frightful and intimidating
- horrible and formidable
- horrible and intimidating
- threatening and formidable
- threatening and intimidating
- dire and formidable
- dire and intimidating
- fearful and formidable
- fearful and intimidating
Both words in one sentence
- In The Prince of Tennis both Sanada and Atobe start out as formidable, intimidating opponents.
Source: The Rival / Anime and Manga -
Darker and Edgier: Bane is every bit as formidable a fighter as in the comics, but his ostentatious luchador mask has been discarded in favor of a intimidating looking breathing apparatus.
Source: Film / The Dark Knight Rises -
Men, especially wrongdoers, find him intimidating, but women, sensing the sensitivity and empathy under the formidable surface, tend to trust and confide in him.
Source: Literature / Judge Dee
Cite this Source
Intimidating and Formidable. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/formidable/intimidating
Formidable & Intimidating. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/formidable/intimidating>.
Intimidating or Formidable. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/formidable/intimidating.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "formidable" and "intimidating" have occurred on timeline