- Arousing fear, dread, or alarm: the formidable prospect of major surgery.
- Inspiring awe, admiration, or wonder: "Though a true hero, he was also a thoroughgoing bureaucrat and politician, a formidable combination" (Mario Puzo).
- Difficult to undertake, surmount, or defeat: a formidable challenge; a formidable opponent.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin formīdābilis, from formīdāre, to fear, from formīdō, fear.]
formidability for'mi·da·bil'i·ty or for'mi·da·ble·ness n.formidably for'mi·da·bly adv.
USAGE NOTE Traditionally formidable has been pronounced with stress on the first syllable, but recently the pronunciation with stress on the second syllable, which is a common variant in British English, appears to be on the rise in American English. The traditional pronunciation is apparently still preferred by a large majority of educated speakers, however. A recent survey shows that 80 percent of the Usage Panel use the pronunciation (fôrPRIMARY_STRESSmĭ-də-bəl), while 14 percent use (fôr-mĭdPRIMARY_STRESSə-bəl). A few Panelists approved both pronunciations.
