Fearsome — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /ˈfir-səm/ fear·some

Meaning & Definition of Fearsome

Fearsome (adjective)

  1. causing fear
  2. intense, extreme
  3. timid, timorous

Fearsome (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. causing fear

    "at night the child would always imagine that there were fearsome monsters lurking under his bed"

    similar: alarming, dire, direful, dread, dreadful, fearful, forbidding, formidable, frightening, frightful, ghastly, hair-raising, horrendous, horrible, horrifying, intimidating, redoubtable, scary, shocking, spine-chilling, terrible, terrifying
    related: daunting, demoralizing, disconcerting, discouraging, dismaying, disquieting, distressing, disturbing, perturbing, startling, threatening, troubling, trying, unnerving, bone-chilling, creepy, eerie, weird, appalling, atrocious, awful, grisly, gruesome, hideous, horrid, macabre, monstrous, nightmarish
    near: calming, comforting, consoling, inviting, lulling, pacifying, quieting, reassuring, relaxing, soothing, tranquilizing, nonintimidating, nonthreatening

  2. extreme in degree, power, or effect

    "after working all afternoon in the hot sun, I had developed a fearsome thirst"

    similar: acute, almighty, blistering, deep, dreadful, excruciating, explosive, exquisite, fearful, ferocious, fierce, frightful, furious, ghastly, hard, heavy, heavy-duty, hellacious, intense, intensive, keen, profound, terrible, vehement, vicious, violent
    related: accentuated, aggravated, concentrated, deepened, emphasized, enhanced, heightened, intensified, magnified, stressed, exhaustive, thorough, harsh, rigorous, severe
    opposite: light, moderate, soft
    near: feeble, weak, shallow, superficial, moderated, qualified, alleviated, eased, lightened, toned (down), abated, decreased, diminished, lessened, reduced, subdued

  3. easily frightened

    "the more fearsome of the two children would only peer at the guests from a distance"

    similar: fainthearted, fearful, mousy, scary, shy, skittish, timid, timorous, tremulous
    related: chicken, chickenhearted, chicken-livered, cowardly, craven, dastardly, gutless, lily-livered, milk-livered (archaic), poltroon, pusillanimous, spineless, unheroic, yellow, jittery, jumpy, spooky, anxious, apprehensive, nervous, afraid, alarmed, horrified, panicked, panicky, panic-stricken, scared, shocked, spooked, startled, terrified, terrorized, unnerved
    opposite: adventuresome, adventurous, audacious, bold, daring, dashing, gutsy, hardy, venturesome, venturous
    near: brave, courageous, dauntless, doughty, fearless, gallant, greathearted, heroic, intrepid, lionhearted, stalwart, stout, stouthearted, undaunted, valiant, valorous, assured, confident, self-assured, self-confident, determined, firm, game, plucky, resolute, undeterred, unflinching, unswerving, mettlesome, spirited, spunky

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Fearsome

The most common words with a similar meaning to Fearsome:

alarming, dire, direful, dread, dreadful, fearful, forbidding, formidable, frightening, frightful, ghastly, hair-raising, horrendous, horrible, horrifying, intimidating, redoubtable, scary, shocking, spine-chilling, terrible, terrifying, acute, almighty, blistering, deep, excruciating, explosive, exquisite, ferocious, fierce, furious, hard, heavy, heavy-duty, hellacious, intense, intensive, keen, profound

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Fearsome

Words with the opposite meaning of Fearsome:

light, moderate, soft, adventuresome, adventurous, audacious, bold, daring, dashing, gutsy, hardy, venturesome, venturous

Related Words for Fearsome

daunting, demoralizing, disconcerting, discouraging, dismaying, disquieting, distressing, disturbing, perturbing, startling, threatening, troubling, trying, unnerving, bone-chilling, creepy, eerie, weird, appalling, atrocious, awful, grisly, gruesome, hideous, horrid, macabre, monstrous, nightmarish, accentuated, aggravated

Near Antonyms of Fearsome

calming, comforting, consoling, inviting, lulling, pacifying, quieting, reassuring, relaxing, soothing, tranquilizing, nonintimidating, nonthreatening, feeble, weak, shallow, superficial, moderated, qualified, alleviated, eased, lightened, toned (down), abated, decreased, diminished, lessened, reduced, subdued, brave

Word Forms of Fearsome

Derived words: fearsomely (adverb), fearsomeness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Fearsome

fear:1 + -some:1

First known use: 1768

Frequently Asked Questions about Fearsome

What does "Fearsome" mean?

"Fearsome" means causing fear. As an adjective, it is defined as: causing fear. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Fearsome"?

Other words for "Fearsome" include alarming, dire, direful, dread, dreadful, fearful, forbidding and formidable. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Fearsome" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Fearsome"?

There are 126 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Fearsome". Common alternatives include alarming, dire, direful, dread, dreadful, fearful, forbidding, formidable, frightening and frightful.

What is the opposite of "Fearsome"?

Antonyms of "Fearsome" include light, moderate, soft, adventuresome, adventurous, audacious, bold and daring. Near antonyms include calming, comforting, consoling and inviting.

How do you use "Fearsome" in a sentence?

Examples of "Fearsome" in a sentence: "at night the child would always imagine that there were fearsome monsters lurking under his bed"; "after working all afternoon in the hot sun, I had developed a fearsome thirst"; "the more fearsome of the two children would only peer at the guests from a distance".

Is "Fearsome" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Fearsome" is an adjective.

How do you pronounce "Fearsome"?

"Fearsome" is pronounced /ˈfir-səm/ and divided into syllables as fear·some.

What is the origin of the word "Fearsome"?

"Fearsome" comes from fear:1 + -some:1. First known use: 1768.