Arousing fear, dread, or alarm: the formidable prospect of major surgery.
Inspiring awe, admiration, or wonder: "Though a true hero, he was also a thoroughgoing bureaucrat and politician, a formidable combination"(Mario Puzo).
Difficult to undertake, surmount, or defeat: a formidable challenge; a formidable opponent.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin formīdābilis, from formīdāre, to fear, from formīdō, fear.] for'mi·da·bil'i·ty, for'mi·da·ble·ness n., for'mi·da·bly adv.
Usage Note: Traditionally formidable has been pronounced with stress on the first syllable, but recently the pronunciation with stress on the second syllable, which is a common variant in British English, appears to be on the rise in American English. The traditional pronunciation is apparently still preferred by a large majority of educated speakers, however. A recent survey shows that 80 percent of the Usage Panel use the pronunciation (fôr'mĭ-də-bəl), while 14 percent use (fôr-mĭd'ə-bəl). A few Panelists approved both pronunciations.
[fawr-mi-duh-buh
l] 