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

Fears was far less fearsome that day, finishing with just 8 points on 3-of-13 shooting from the field. —The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2025

They’re relentlessly pursued by Ash and her army of murderous monks and also must contend with the most fearsome CGI demonic creatures a mid-budget movie can create. —Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2025

Published on Monday in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, the results of the desert dig painted the picture of a fearsome, big-cat creature with a strong jaw and sharp teeth that occupied the spot at the top of the food chain during the Oligocene Epoch era. —Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 2025

The 30th overall pick from 2021 has been pretty good, though far from fearsome. —Tim Graham, The Athletic, 14 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