[fawr-mi-duh-buh
l] 
| 1. | causing fear, apprehension, or dread: a formidable opponent. |
| 2. | of discouraging or awesome strength, size, difficulty, etc.; intimidating: a formidable problem. |
| 3. | arousing feelings of awe or admiration because of grandeur, strength, etc. |
| 4. | of great strength; forceful; powerful: formidable opposition to the proposal. |
| for·mi·da·ble (fôr'mĭ-də-bəl, fôr-mĭd'ə-) adj.
[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. |
