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formidably

   Also found in: Legal, Wikipedia 0.04 sec.
for·mi·da·ble  (fôrm-d-bl, fôr-md-)
adj.
1. Arousing fear, dread, or alarm: the formidable prospect of major surgery.
2. Inspiring awe, admiration, or wonder: "Though a true hero, he was also a thoroughgoing bureaucrat and politician, a formidable combination" (Mario Puzo).
3. Difficult to undertake, surmount, or defeat: a formidable challenge; a formidable opponent.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin formdbilis, from formdre, to fear, from formd, fear.]

formi·da·bili·ty, formi·da·ble·ness n.
formi·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 (fôrm-d-bl), while 14 percent use (fôr-md-bl). A few Panelists approved both pronunciations.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Adv.1.formidably - in a formidable manner; "the constant risk that attends the exchanges of human beings formidably armed"
Translations
formidably [ˈfɔːmɪdəblɪ] ADVtremendamente, enormemente
formidably [ˈfɔːrmɪdəbli ˈfɔːrmɪdəbli] advterriblement
form of words n (= formulation) → formulation f
formidably
adv
(= dauntingly)enorm, außerordentlich; formidably equippedaußerordentlich gut ausgerüstet
(= prodigiously, excellently)hervorragend; formidably gifted or talentedaußerordentlich begabt or talentiert; formidably efficientüberaus or außerordentlich effizient
formidably [ˈfɔːmɪdəblɪ] advtremendamente
a formidably difficult task → un compito tremendamente difficile
formidably [ˈfɔːmɪdəblɪ] advtremendamente
a formidably difficult task → un compito tremendamente difficile


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
His works, of which he had never sold one, attracted the eye at a distance of a hundred paces; but they so formidably displeased the citizens, that he had finished by painting no more.
But here, even in my grand room of state, there wasn't anything in the nature of a picture except a thing the size of a bedquilt, which was either woven or knitted (it had darned places in it), and nothing in it was the right color or the right shape; and as for proportions, even Raphael himself couldn't have botched them more formidably, after all his practice on those nightmares they call his "celebrated Hampton Court cartoons.
They entered the roadstead; but as they drew near in order to cast anchor, a little cutter, looking like a coastguard formidably armed, approached the merchant vessel and dropped into the sea a boat which directed its course to the ladder.
 
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