English Meaning & Definitions
Having a frightening, overawing, or daunting effect, often causing someone to feel nervous or lacking in confidence.
- “The prospect of speaking in front of a thousand people was incredibly intimidating.”
- “She found his intense stare and silence quite intimidating during the interview.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “intimidating”.
Derived from the Late Latin 'intimidatus', the past participle of 'intimidare', formed by the prefix 'in-' (into/make) and 'timidus' (fearful/timid), which stems from the Latin verb 'timere' (to fear). It entered English in the mid-17th century to describe the act of making someone timid or fearful.
Think of 'in-timid-ating': It is the act of making someone feel 'timid' or shy.
Frequently Asked Questions About “intimidating”
1. What is the meaning of “intimidating” in English?
In English, intimidating (adjective) is defined as: “Having a frightening, overawing, or daunting effect, often causing someone to feel nervous or lacking in confidence.”.
2. How do you use “intimidating” in a sentence?
“The prospect of speaking in front of a thousand people was incredibly intimidating.”
3. What are English synonyms of “intimidating”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “intimidating”?
Derived from the Late Latin 'intimidatus', the past participle of 'intimidare', formed by the prefix 'in-' (into/make) and 'timidus' (fearful/timid), which stems from the Latin verb 'timere' (to fear). It entered English in the mid-17th century to describe the act of making someone timid or fearful.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →A measurement of time indicating an instantaneous occurrence or a state where no time has elapsed.
The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.