intimidating
adjective
in·tim·i·dat·ing
in-ˈti-mə-ˌdā-tiŋ 
: causing a loss of courage or self-confidence : producing feelings of fear or timidity
an intimidating snarl
a boss with a very intimidating manner
The Red Army athletes were the most intimidating of competitors.—
Ian Thomsen
Ian ThomsenFirst jobs are intimidating for everyone, but few people have to cope with the stresses of the workplace at such a tender age as ballet dancers do.—Daphne Hurford
Daphne Hurford
intimidatingly
adverb
The ship was eerily, intimidatingly empty …
—Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Bourdain
… according to the architect Richard Rogers, [Daniel] Libeskind's work isn't just formally arresting—it is intimidatingly smart.
—Jason Cowley
Jason Cowley
Examples of intimidating in a Sentence
the school's seniors faced the intimidating prospect of the college entrance exams
an intimidating bodyguard keeping the fans away from the pop star
Recent Examples on the Web
While these strengths are impressive and somewhat intimidating, human workers are not without their own robust capabilities that AI systems cannot easily replicate:
Creativity and imagination.
—Brent Dykes, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Bay Area news outlets have reported dozens of Jewish families transferring their children out of Oakland’s public schools because of the intimidating, antisemitic school environment.
—Mark Cohen, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2025
To make matters more intimidating, she was featured as a soloist on the sitar, a deviously difficult instrument that has 19 strings and whose undisputed master was her famous dad.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025
Logan Lerman was smaller than him, so Mads was more physically intimidating.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intimidating
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Brent Dykes, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Bay Area news outlets have reported dozens of Jewish families transferring their children out of Oakland’s public schools because of the intimidating, antisemitic school environment.
—Mark Cohen, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2025
To make matters more intimidating, she was featured as a soloist on the sitar, a deviously difficult instrument that has 19 strings and whose undisputed master was her famous dad.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025
Logan Lerman was smaller than him, so Mads was more physically intimidating.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intimidating
Cite this Entry
“Intimidating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intimidating. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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