Adjective
formidable (comparative more formidable, superlative most formidable)
- Causing fear, dread, awe, or discouragement as a result of size, strength, or some other impressive feature; commanding respect; causing wonder or astonishment.
1823, [Walter Scott], “The Contrast”, in Quentin Durward. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 3:The latter part of the fifteenth century prepared a train of future events, that ended by raising France to a formidable power, which has ever since been, from time to time, the principal object of jealousy to the other European nations.
- Difficult to defeat or overcome.
a formidable opponent
1978, Richard Nixon, RN: the Memoirs of Richard Nixon, Grosset & Dunlap, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 577:As I look back on that week in China two impressions stand out most vividly. One is the awesome sight of the disciplined but wildly—almost fanatically—enthusiastic audience at the gymnastic exhibition in Peking, confirming my belief that we must cultivate China during the next few decades while it is still learning to develop its national strength and potential. Otherwise we will one day be confronted with the most formidable enemy that has ever existed in the history of the world.
2012 May 9, John Percy, “Birmingham City 2 Blackpool 2 (2–3 on agg): Match report”, in Tony Gallagher, editor, The Daily Telegraph, London: Telegraph Media Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 6 January 2018:[Ian] Holloway has unfinished business in the Premier League after relegation last year and he will make a swift return if he can overcome West Ham a week on Saturday. Sam Allardyce, the West Ham manager, will be acutely aware that when the stakes are high, Blackpool are simply formidable.
Translations
causing fear, dread, awe or admiration as a result of size, strength, or some other impressive quality
- Armenian: ահեղ (hy) (aheġ), ահարկու (hy) (aharku)
- Belarusian: гро́зны (hrózny)
- Bulgarian: страхови́т (bg) (strahovít), страхо́тен (bg) (strahóten)
- Catalan: formidable (ca)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 可畏 (ho2 wai3)
- Hokkien: 可畏 (khó-ùi)
- Mandarin: 可畏 (kěwèi)
- Czech: hrozný (cs), ohromný (cs), ohromující (cs), úžasný (cs)
- Danish: frygtindgydende; formidabel
- Dutch: ontzagwekkend (nl)
- Finnish: mahtava (fi), valtava (fi), vaikuttava (fi), pelottava (fi)
- French: formidable (fr)
- German: respekteinflößend (de), furchteinflößend (de), furchterregend (de), gewaltig (de), beachtlich (de)
- Greek: υπέροχος (el) (ypérochos), τρομερός (el) (tromerós), δεινός (el) (deinós), αμόρφωτος (el) (amórfotos)
- Hungarian: ijesztő (hu), félelmetes (hu)
- Irish: do-iongabhála, forránta, gríobhach, iontach, ollmhór, scanrúil
- Japanese: 怖ろしい (ja) (osoroshii),怖ろしく強い (osoroshikutsuyoi)
- Latin: formīdābilis
- Maori: kaiora, marutuna
- Norwegian: formidabel
- Occitan: formidable (oc)
- Polish: groźny (pl)
- Portuguese: formidável (pt)
- Romanian: formidabil (ro), groaznic (ro)
- Russian: гро́зный (ru) (gróznyj), устраша́ющий (ru) (ustrašájuščij), внуши́тельный (ru) (vnušítelʹnyj), чудо́вищный (ru) (čudóviščnyj) (monstrous)
- Sanskrit: उग्र (sa) (ugra)
- Slovak: hrozný
- Spanish: formidable (es)
- Swedish: fruktansvärd (sv)
- Turkish: ürkütücü (tr)
- Ukrainian: грі́зний (hríznyj)
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difficult to defeat or overcome
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /foɾmiˈdable/ [foɾ.miˈð̞a.β̞le]
- Rhymes: -able
- Syllabification: for‧mi‧da‧ble