redoubtable
adjective
Did you know?
The word redoubtable is worthy of respect itself, if only for its longevity. It has been used in English for things that cause fear, dread, and apprehension since at least the 15th century and comes to us through Middle English from the Anglo-French verb reduter, meaning "to dread." That word comes ultimately from Latin dubitare, "to be in doubt" (by way of Anglo-French duter, douter, meaning "to doubt," also the source of English doubt). Things or people that are formidable and alarming can also inspire awe and even admiration, and it wasn't long before the meaning of redoubtable was extended from "formidable" to "illustrious" and "worthy of respect."
Synonyms
- alarming
- dire
- direful
- dread
- dreadful
- fearful
- fearsome
- forbidding
- formidable
- frightening
- frightful
- ghastly
- hair-raising
- horrendous
- horrible
- horrifying
- intimidating
- scary
- shocking
- spine-chilling
- terrible
- terrifying
Example Sentences
Zach Mason, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Aug. 2022 No team has used more pitchers this season than the redoubtable Rays. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 14 July 2022 Its twinkling eye is instead trained on three redoubtable forces: dreams, family and British eccentricity. Kyle Smith, WSJ, 2 June 2022 Real Madrid could risk absorbing pressure, conceding chances, safe in the knowledge that Courtois is a redoubtable last line of defense. New York Times, 28 May 2022 That would excite me enough even if the movie didn’t boast two leads as redoubtable as Marion Cotillard and Melvil Poupaud. Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2022 Our second father/son-in-law street-name duo was the redoubtable Otis/Chandler pairing. Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2022 The redoubtable Christine Lahti stars as Alice Murchow, the kind of strung-out character that in Williams’ lifetime would have been played to the hilt by Elizabeth Ashley. Charles Mcnultytheater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2022 Hunt wound up selling Vanderbilt on a stupendously sumptuous design inspired by redoubtable piles such as Blois and the Palace of Jacques Coeur in Bourges. Catesby Leigh, WSJ, 11 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Middle English redoutable, from Anglo-French, from reduter to dread, from re- + duter to doubt
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
redoubtable
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- formidable
- terrifying
- frightening
- intimidating
- scary
- terrible
- horrible
- dread
- alarming
- fearsome
- fearful
- shocking
- startling
- dreadful
- ghastly
- horrifying
- trying
- forbidding
- frightful
- eerie
- dire
- creepy
- direful
- spine-chilling
- threatening
- troubling
- horrendous
- hair-raising
- gruesome
- eery
- daunting
- perturbing
- unnerving
- disturbing
- discouraging
- disquieting
- disconcerting
- demoralizing
- dismaying
- hideous
- appalling
- monstrous
- distressing
- horrid
- grisly
- weird
- nightmarish
- macabre
- awful
- bone-chilling
- atrocious
- grewsome
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- reassuring
- consoling
- inviting
- comforting
- soothing
- calming
- quieting
- relaxing
- tranquilizing
- tranquillizing
- lulling
- nonthreatening
- pacifying
- nonintimidating
Synonyms & Similar Words
- distinguished
- outstanding
- illustrious
- eminent
- famous
- notable
- prestigious
- noteworthy
- renowned
- superior
- star
- celebrated
- noble
- honored
- luminous
- signal
- preeminent
- bright
- famed
- notorious
- infamous
- glorious
- exalted
- dominant
- reputable
- astral
- predominant
- paramount
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- minor
- average
- insignificant
- unimportant
- inferior
- mediocre
- obscure
- unsung
- uncelebrated