formidable
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French formidable, from Latin formīdābilis (“formidable, terrible”), from formīdō (“fear, dread”).
Pronunciation
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. [...] In Three Volumes, volume I, Edinburgh: Printed [by James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., OCLC 892089432, 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.
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- Difficult to defeat or overcome.
- a formidable opponent
- 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 0307-1235, OCLC 635239717, 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
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difficult to defeat or overcome
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French
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin formīdābilis (“formidable, terrible”), from formīdō (“fear, dread”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /fɔʁ.mi.dabl/
audio (file)
Further reading
- “formidable” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Norwegian Bokmål
Norwegian Nynorsk
Spanish
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin formidabilis.
Derived terms
Further reading
- “formidable” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.
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