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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fearsome
The Clinic, first published as a pamphlet in 1998, was named in honor of the London Clinic, where Pinochet was held after his arrest, reflecting an effort to show the formerly fearsome dictator as an old man in decline.
—
Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 27 Mar. 2026
The fort stood high above the river, where fearsome artillery was able to turn back the Union gunboats that had pounded low-lying Fort Henry into submission.
—Bill Steiden, Des Moines Register, 24 Mar. 2026
Donica, across from her, is on sturdier ground, fearsome to the point of awe-inspiring in the sustained fury of his fermatas, though his considerable force as a performer longs to be shaped more cleanly.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2026
Redemption for Okonkwo came on Friday via two stunning saves, first to deny Championship top scorer Zan Vipotnik one-on-one and then beat away a fearsome Marko Stamenic volley.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fearsome
Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 27 Mar. 2026
The fort stood high above the river, where fearsome artillery was able to turn back the Union gunboats that had pounded low-lying Fort Henry into submission.
—Bill Steiden, Des Moines Register, 24 Mar. 2026
Donica, across from her, is on sturdier ground, fearsome to the point of awe-inspiring in the sustained fury of his fermatas, though his considerable force as a performer longs to be shaped more cleanly.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2026
Redemption for Okonkwo came on Friday via two stunning saves, first to deny Championship top scorer Zan Vipotnik one-on-one and then beat away a fearsome Marko Stamenic volley.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fearsome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fearsome
Adjective
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This double-digit growth positions the $98-per-year service as a formidable challenger to Amazon Prime, leaning heavily on delivery speed and new streaming partnerships.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
2 Apr. 2026
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Its missile force is formidable.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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For the seventh year in a row, Walmart captured more money from Charlotte-area shoppers than any other grocery store, despite intense competition from local grocers like Harris Teeter and Food Lion.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Apr. 2026
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Graves’ exit has sparked intense speculation about his potential successor to represent Missouri’s 6th Congressional District, which stretches across northern Missouri and touches Kansas City’s Northland.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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One of the earliest of American masculinity influencers was President Theodore Roosevelt, who touted his own transformation from a timid, effeminate man – local presses mocked him in his early career – to a rugged outdoorsman.—
Miriam Eve Mora,
The Conversation,
3 Apr. 2026
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Sergio Romano and Pierpaolo Capovilla star as two fifty-something men from Italy’s northern Veneto area who befriend a timid student from Naples, played by Filippo Scotti.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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What was John thinking before the surface of the water appeared before his windshield, rushing forward at terrifying speed?—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
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As The Boys presents a terrifying dystopia under Homelander (Antony Starr) in the fifth and final season, Eric Kripke recently noted that any narrative similarities to our current dystopia are purely coincidental.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But Altman inspired fierce loyalty, too.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Christian villagers who stayed behind in southern Lebanon, ignoring Israel’s blanket evacuation warnings for the area, have increasingly hardened into enclaves surrounded by fierce clashes.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Wallner and second baseman Luke Keaschall had a scary collision in the eighth inning on a pop fly to right by Salvador Perez that Keaschall caught.—
David Brown,
Twin Cities,
30 Mar. 2026
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Especially one that features Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Martin Necas, Nazem Kadri, Brock Nelson, Val Nichushkin and Nicolas Roy, all at the same time, a legitimately scary roster that goes four lines and two goaltenders deep.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The idea of frightening children into basic courtesy scares Miss Manners.—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Mar. 2026
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Facing the future may mean confronting difficult questions and frightening scenarios.—
Kat McGowan,
NPR,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Xcel Energy is proposing a new rate class for data centers that the company says is intended to ensure that the energy-intensive facilities pay their way instead of passing along the costs to residential and small-business customers.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
3 Apr. 2026
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In the tech industry, AI models promise to make coding far easier and less labor intensive.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fearsome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fearsome. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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