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
That meant six hours of makeup for Bill Skarsgård to become the fearsome Count Orlok, a traditional orchestra of strings for composer Robin Carolan and more than 60 sets from production designer Craig Lathrop.
—
Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 27 Dec. 2024
With long snouts and crocodile-like hands, spinosaurids were large, fearsome predators that dominated the mid-Cretaceous period.
—Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 26 Dec. 2024
Vic Fangio brings pressure with his fearsome front and in Week 12, that led to five sacks and just 4.8 yards per pass attempt.
—Hank Gola, New York Daily News, 17 Jan. 2025
The Zack Snyder film from 2006 — which marked Butler’s breakout role, playing the fearsome Spartan King Leonidas — was apparently quite war zone on set.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for fearsome 
Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 27 Dec. 2024
With long snouts and crocodile-like hands, spinosaurids were large, fearsome predators that dominated the mid-Cretaceous period.
—Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 26 Dec. 2024
Vic Fangio brings pressure with his fearsome front and in Week 12, that led to five sacks and just 4.8 yards per pass attempt.
—Hank Gola, New York Daily News, 17 Jan. 2025
The Zack Snyder film from 2006 — which marked Butler’s breakout role, playing the fearsome Spartan King Leonidas — was apparently quite war zone on set.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for fearsome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fearsome
Adjective
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Despite this, in 1980, in a turning point that helped give rise to the formidable power of the New Right, Reagan continued to lean heavily on the Panama issue in his successful campaign against Carter.—
Julie Greene / Made by History,
TIME,
22 Jan. 2025
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When Judkins’ 70-yard run set up his 1-yard scoring run for a 28-7 lead, Leonard and the Fighting Irish faced a formidable deficit that couldn’t be addressed on more quarterback keepers.—
Charles Odum,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The Chiefs tallied another three points from Butker as both defenses were noticeably intense and solid as the first quarter ended 6-3 Kansas City.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN,
19 Jan. 2025
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The single performs even better on the Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart, which is compiled in the same way as the Rock Digital Song Sales list, only the focus is exclusively on the more intense, harder style of the genre.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes,
19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Woods stars as Louise, who transforms from timid wallflower into the famed burlesque dancer known as Gypsy Rose Lee.—
Kristen Tauer,
WWD,
20 Jan. 2025
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The video introduces several of GRRR's residents, including George, a timid golden retriever who was abused and is now slowly building his confidence around people.—
Lydia Patrick,
Newsweek,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Cumberbatch, in a few moments, expresses the depth of this father’s agony, the terrifying chasm of it.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2025
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Six episodes centre on a variety of different dinosaurs, from terrifying carnivores to docile herbivores.—
John Yoo and John Shu,
Newsweek,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Just one decade later, he's become one of Meta's fiercest competitors BYMarco Quiroz-Gutierrez January 15, 2025 7 hours ago Personal Finance A woman purchased a vacant Hawaiian lot for about $22,000.—
Chloe Berger,
Fortune,
20 Jan. 2025
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Rubio was a fierce Trump critic during the contest for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.—
Laura Kelly,
The Hill,
20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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On top of all that, Carolina as an organization views cap space as an opportunity, not a scary thing.—
Pierre LeBrun,
The Athletic,
25 Jan. 2025
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Coupled with the growth of Bills blockers, Allen’s scary run threat has unclogged rushing lanes for teammates such as running back James Cook, whose 16 rushing touchdowns led the NFL this season.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Listen to this article California’s blazing wildfires and last year’s destructive hurricanes in the Southeast are frightening examples of the dramatic impacts of climate change.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Jan. 2025
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Coming full circle, the FBI also warned users to beware this frightening new threat in a special advisory last month.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In 2002, the Israeli military occupied the camp after 10 days of intensive fighting, according to the UN, during which time more than 400 houses were destroyed and over a quarter of the camp’s population was displaced.—
Nadeen Ebrahim,
CNN,
24 Jan. 2025
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The initial iteration of the program, launched with partners Nike and Right to Dream, gave six Ghanaian women the chance to participate in a three-month intensive coaches training experience.—
Vitas Carosella,
Forbes,
24 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near fearsome
Cite this Entry
“Fearsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fearsome. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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