1
as in formidable
causing fear
at night the child would always imagine that there were fearsome monsters lurking under his bed
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2
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
after working all afternoon in the hot sun, I had developed a fearsome thirst
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3
as in timid
easily frightened
the more fearsome of the two children would only peer at the guests from a distance
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fearsome
Their most fearsome weapon is a sharp, curved claw on each foot, which can grow up to 5 inches long.
—
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025
Collectively, the Bruins comprise one of the most fearsome lineups in the country, having piled up a team-record 28 mercy-rule wins.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
Granted, the Bengals and Steelers aren’t as fearsome as the other Super Series opponents, but their coaches and quarterbacks (again, if Rodgers signs in Pittsburgh) have reached the Super Bowl.
—Tim Graham, New York Times, 15 May 2025
But fearsome technical challenges kept SDI from getting anywhere close to that goal, despite tens of billions of dollars of federal expenditures.
—Lee Billings, Scientific American, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fearsome
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025
Collectively, the Bruins comprise one of the most fearsome lineups in the country, having piled up a team-record 28 mercy-rule wins.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
Granted, the Bengals and Steelers aren’t as fearsome as the other Super Series opponents, but their coaches and quarterbacks (again, if Rodgers signs in Pittsburgh) have reached the Super Bowl.
—Tim Graham, New York Times, 15 May 2025
But fearsome technical challenges kept SDI from getting anywhere close to that goal, despite tens of billions of dollars of federal expenditures.
—Lee Billings, Scientific American, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fearsome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fearsome
Adjective
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Soon after, he was joined by his brother, Tonga Loa, creating a formidable new tag team within the group.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 June 2025
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Krishnamurthi is also a star cricket player for the U.S. senior national team, a contributor to their recent run of strong form that included a win over a formidable Pakistan team in the T20 World Cup last year.—
Christian Babcock,
Mercury News,
12 June 2025
Adjective
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There were times when the twin drama got too intense.—
Maris Kreizman,
Rolling Stone,
24 June 2025
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Drilling defense: Every day at practice, the Broncos execute intense, one-on-one, full-court defensive slide drills.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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At the time, David was a bit timid around dogs and initially kept his distance.—
Jordan Greene,
People.com,
3 June 2025
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In the film, Colin, a timid man is swept off his feet when Ray, an enigmatic, impossibly handsome biker takes him on as his submissive.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
29 May 2025
Adjective
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John Hoffman via Facebook In a statement released on Thursday night, the Hoffman family recounted the terrifying attack, saying they were woken up by someone impersonating an officer who was banging on their door at 2 a.m.—
Stephen Swanson,
CBS News,
20 June 2025
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Whether the result of drugs, alcohol or general hysteria, these terrifying men would enter trance-like states and charge into battle, ignoring severe injuries and collapsing into a feeble heap immediately after the fight concluded.—
Drew Gerber,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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Meta’s big bet on Wang fits into CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s plans to bolster his company’s AI efforts amid fierce competition from OpenAI and Google-parent Alphabet.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
13 June 2025
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Sanders’s Senate counterpart, Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), is a fierce Trump critic.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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The cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you.—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2025
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Is 'Jaws' the scariest film of all time? Watch it once or hundreds of times and the scare seems fresh every time, says Dawn Keetley, editor of the journal Horror Studies and professor of English and film at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.—
Marco della Cava,
USA Today,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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The frightening incident unfolded aboard Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas cruise ship on June 8.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 June 2025
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How to check food labels for allergies Howard's story is frightening and not entirely uncommon.—
Adrianna Rodriguez,
USA Today,
12 June 2025
Adjective
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Meta is also making major investments in geothermal technology as a less fossil fuel–intensive way to generate power.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
19 June 2025
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Apex scavengers are disproportionately affected by activities like intensive livestock production, land use changes and the wildlife trade.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fearsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fearsome. Accessed 28 Jun. 2025.
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