fearsome

adjective

fear·​some ˈfir-səm 

1

a

: causing fear

a fearsome monster

b

: intense, extreme

fearsome determination

2

: timid, timorous

fearsomely adverb

fearsomeness noun

Synonyms

• alarming
• dire
• direful
• dread
• dreadful
• fearful
• forbidding
• formidable
• frightening
• frightful
• ghastly
• hair-raising
• horrendous
• horrible
• horrifying
• intimidating
• redoubtable
• scary
• shocking
• spine-chilling
• terrible
• terrifying

Examples of fearsome in a Sentence

at night the child would always imagine that there were fearsome monsters lurking under his bed

after working all afternoon in the hot sun, I had developed a fearsome thirst

Recent Examples on the Web

While Harvey and Mike were the beating heart (and Jessica, the fearsome lioness) of Suits, the show’s ensemble formed its strong backbone: Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman), Harvey’s petulant, heart-on-his-sleeve frenemy, became the kind of character audiences loved to hate, or even grew to love. —Max Gao, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Feb. 2025

But beneath the surface lurks a creature so fearsome, that his very name sends shivers down the spines of locals. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025

Whoever wins the job will have the support of a fearsome offense, led by Oakland and the powerful duo of Peyton Tsao and Hayden Hummel. —Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 19 Feb. 2025

The ‘Psycho’ persona Pearce had as a fearsome defender for the club and England was long gone, replaced by a man who had swapped launching wingers into row Z for going two-footed into a discussion about the plot of The Imitation Game. —Paul Taylor, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

fear entry 1 + -some entry 1

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

fearsome

adjective

fear·​some ˈfi(ə)r-səm 

1

: causing fear

2

: timid

fearsomely adverb

fearsomeness noun