1
as in terrifying
causing fear
the school's seniors faced the intimidating prospect of the college entrance exams
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gruff
harsh and threatening in manner or appearance
an intimidating bodyguard keeping the fans away from the pop star
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bullying
to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats
refusing to be intimidated by the manager's harsh stare, I demanded my money back
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of intimidating
Katelyn Chef, Martha Stewart, 29 Dec. 2025
Morris Banks, a cameraman who was equally intimidating in stature, travelled the world for CBS to brings us stories of people and events.
—Lee Cowan, CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
Sydney Lake, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2025
Sean Dunn is facing charges of allegedly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating and interfering with a federal officer, according to The Associated Press.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intimidating
Adjective
Sewing Does a pair of knitting needles seem too intimidating?
—Verb
Dunn is charged with assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating and interfering with a federal officer.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for intimidating
Adjective
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Humans could suddenly step into a box, perhaps hear gears grind, and then exit the box on a different floor—and even as safety features were innovated, that was terrifying.—
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Madigan's character, the elderly aunt of several of the students, became a cult favorite, both terrifying and delighting audiences.—
Adjective
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Approved by The Boss himself, the live-music and storytelling show finds Azaria slipping into his best Springsteen guise for a night of gruff tales and greatest hits.—
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The gory skit ends with the gruff older man rushing through the door to announce he’s made amends with his son, only to have his head sliced off by the flying chainsaw.—
Verb
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The girlfriend of a 17-year-old boy who was shot and killed after leaving school on Thursday afternoon in west suburban Cicero said the attack was the result of bullying.—
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Military might and bullying never made any country great.—
Adjective
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Experts immediately pointed out that Hassett had used a misleading method known as a cubic fit to make the mortality data appear less frightening.—
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When the sun went down, the Santa Anas began to blow, and the fire shifted into the familiar, frightening rhythm of inevitability.—
Adjective
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Some nearby residents, including Sue Weston — the owner of Weston Gardens in Bloom, a historic garden located on Anglin Drive — have expressed fierce opposition to the data center.—
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Last year, the governor tried to increase the number of in-office days to four only to face fierce resistance from his employees and their labor representatives.—
Verb
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After scaring off the animal, one of the hikers, a physician, attempted to revive Kovatch, but did not find a pulse.—
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Talk openly about world events—without scaring them Even young children absorb bits of information about conflict, violence, and disaster—whether through classmates, TV in a waiting room, or overheard adult conversations.—
Adjective
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The service Aside from a formidable restaurant and spa, the service sets this hotel apart from other country boutiques in Sicily.—
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The hardy parasite is also highly attuned to threats and responds with formidable defense mechanisms — prolonging a treatment process that’s already months to years long and often fraught with other hurdles and pain.—
Adjective
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Several French and Italian citizens were among the dead, and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for stern punishment to be meted out to those responsible for the blaze.—
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Continue reading … FLIP-FLOP – Reporter claims Harris privately joked about question before stern response.—
Cite this Entry
“Intimidating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intimidating. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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