Formidable
adjective
Definition
1. (adjective) Inspiring respect, fear, or admiration because of impressive power, ability, or strength — used for people, opponents, or forces that are very difficult to deal with or defeat.
2. (adjective) Very large, difficult, or demanding in a way that feels overwhelming — used for tasks, challenges, or obstacles that require serious effort to overcome.
2. (adjective) Very large, difficult, or demanding in a way that feels overwhelming — used for tasks, challenges, or obstacles that require serious effort to overcome.
Context Alive
You've been playing in a local tennis tournament and won your first two matches easily. Then you find out who you're playing next — a former regional champion who still trains every day. Your coach pulls you aside before the match and tells you she's a formidable opponent. You walk onto the court trying to stay calm. She wins the first set 6-0 without even looking tired. You spend the rest of the match just trying to return her serve.
Meanings
2 meanings 1 Impressively Powerful or Capable (Adjective) Very Common ▼
This meaning is about someone or something that commands respect — and often a little fear — because of their power, skill, or strength. Imagine watching a debate and one of the speakers is sharp, fast, and completely prepared — they handle every question without hesitating. You'd call them a formidable debater. This is describing someone whose ability makes them genuinely hard to challenge or compete with. You might say "she's a formidable negotiator" about someone who always comes out of deals on top, or someone could say "they're facing a formidable opponent" before a match against a clearly superior team. Or think about a small company going up against a huge corporation in court — the corporation has a formidable legal team with decades of experience. The word suggests the person or force is impressive in a way that makes others feel the pressure.
✏️ Formidable almost always carries a tone of respect, even when describing an enemy or rival. You wouldn't use it for something simply unpleasant — it implies genuine, earned power. A "formidable opponent" is one you have to take seriously. It's commonly used in sport, business, politics, and law.
2 Very Difficult or Demanding (Adjective) Common ▼
This meaning is about a task, challenge, or obstacle that is so large or difficult that it feels genuinely overwhelming. Imagine a student opening a textbook for the first time the night before an exam and seeing hundreds of pages of dense material — the amount of content is a formidable challenge. This is describing something that demands real effort, time, or courage to get through. You might hear "it's a formidable task" about an ambitious project that will take months to complete, or someone could say "the team faced formidable obstacles" when external problems kept blocking their progress. Or picture a small charity trying to raise money while also running day-to-day services with a tiny team — the formidable workload leaves everyone exhausted. The word suggests the difficulty is serious and shouldn't be underestimated.
✏️ When used for tasks or challenges, formidable often implies that the difficulty is not impossible — just very demanding. It's different from "impossible" or "hopeless" because it still suggests the challenge can be faced. This is why it often appears in motivational or journalistic writing — acknowledging difficulty without giving up.
Common Patterns
Basic Structures
a formidable + noun → the most common pattern — directly describes a person, task, or force
She proved to be a formidable opponent from the very first round.
formidable opponent/rival/competitor → used in sport, business, or debate to describe someone very hard to beat
The startup quickly became a formidable competitor in the smartphone market.
formidable challenge/task/obstacle → used to describe something very difficult that requires serious effort
Rebuilding trust after the scandal was a formidable task for the whole organisation.
Common Structures
formidable reputation → a reputation that makes others cautious or impressed
The coach had a formidable reputation for turning struggling teams into champions.
prove (to be) formidable → to turn out to be more powerful or difficult than expected
The conditions in the mountains proved formidable, and several climbers turned back.
formidable presence → a person whose physical or personal impact fills a room
Even in silence, the general had a formidable presence that made people stand straighter.
Collocations
10 collocationsformidable opponent
a rival or enemy who is very hard to beat or defeat
formidable challenge
a difficulty that requires great effort and skill to overcome
formidable task
a piece of work that is demanding enough to feel overwhelming
formidable reputation
a well-known image of being powerful, skilled, or hard to deal with
formidable force
a powerful group, army, or energy that is very difficult to stop
formidable obstacle
a barrier or problem that is very hard to get past
formidable figure
a person who commands respect and sometimes fear because of their status or ability
formidable presence
a strong personal impact that affects everyone around the person
formidable barrier
something that makes progress very difficult, such as a law, cost, or social rule
formidable talent
an impressive natural ability that is hard to match
Example Sentences
10 examples
1
The defending champions are a formidable team — they haven't lost a home game in three years.
The reigning champions are extremely hard to beat and have gone undefeated at home for three years.
2
Learning a new language as an adult is a formidable challenge, but it's absolutely possible.
Picking up a new language later in life is an enormous undertaking, though it can definitely be done.
3
She built a formidable reputation as a criminal lawyer who rarely lost a case.
She became widely known as one of the most capable criminal lawyers around, with very few defeats.
4
The cost of housing in the city is a formidable barrier for young people trying to move there.
The high price of housing makes it extremely difficult for young people to settle in the city.
5
Despite their size, the local club faced a formidable opponent in the national cup.
Despite being a small club, they were up against an extremely powerful team in the national competition.
6
He had a formidable presence — when he walked into a room, everyone noticed immediately.
His impact was impossible to ignore — the moment he entered a room, people paid attention.
7
The rescue team faced formidable conditions — heavy snow, poor visibility, and freezing temperatures.
The rescue team had to deal with extreme conditions: thick snow, almost zero visibility, and intense cold.
8
She's a formidable negotiator who always comes out of deals with more than she went in with.
She's an exceptionally skilled negotiator who consistently secures better outcomes than expected.
9
The company faces the formidable task of winning back customer trust after the data breach.
Regaining customer confidence after the data leak is an enormous and demanding challenge for the company.
10
As a young player, facing such a formidable rival taught him more than any training session could.
Playing against such a powerful and skilled opponent gave him lessons that no amount of practice could match.
Synonyms & Antonyms
6 items
Synonymsintimidating
focuses more on the fear or anxiety the person or thing creates in others
daunting
used mainly for tasks and challenges — emphasises how overwhelming something feels before you start
imposing
focuses on physical presence or appearance — used for people, buildings, or figures that demand attention
Antonymsweak
lacking power or ability — the direct opposite for people or forces described as formidable
manageable
easily handled or dealt with — the opposite for tasks or challenges described as formidable
insignificant
too small or unimportant to be taken seriously — opposite of the respect or fear that formidable implies