different between formidable vs impenetrable

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French formidable, from Latin form?d?bilis (“formidable, terrible”), from form?d? (“fear, dread”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?f???m?d?b?l/, IPA^(key): /f????m?d?b?l/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /f???m?d?b?l/, /f??m?d?b?l/

Adjective

formidable (comparative more formidable, superlative most formidable)

1. Causing fear, dread, awe, or discouragement as a result of size, strength, or some other impressive feature; commanding respect; causing wonder or astonishment.
2. Difficult to defeat or overcome.

Translations

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin form?d?bilis.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /fo?.mi?da.bl?/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /fur.mi?da.bl?/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /fo?.mi?da.ble/

Adjective

formidable (masculine and feminine plural formidables)

1. formidable

Derived terms

• formidablement

Further reading

• “formidable” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “formidable” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “formidable” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “formidable” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin form?d?bilis (“formidable, terrible”), from form?d? (“fear, dread”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /f??.mi.dabl/

Adjective

formidable (plural formidables)

1. (dated or literary) fearsome
2. fantastic, tremendous

Further reading

• “formidable” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

formidable

1. definite singular of formidabel
2. plural of formidabel

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

formidable

1. definite singular of formidabel
2. plural of formidabel

Occitan

Etymology

From Latin form?d?bilis.

Adjective

formidable m (feminine singular formidabla, masculine plural formidables, feminine plural formidablas)

1. formidable

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin formidabilis.

Adjective

formidable (plural formidables)

1. great, fantastic, tremendous
2. formidable

Derived terms

• formidablemente

Further reading

• “formidable” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

English

Etymology

From Middle French impenetrable, from Latin impenetrabilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?m?p?n?t??b?l/, /?m?p?n?t??b?l/
• Hyphenation: im?pen?e?tra?ble

Adjective

impenetrable (not comparable)

1. Not penetrable.

   The fortress is impenetrable, so it cannot be taken.

   • The avalanche spread and stopped, locking everything it carried into an icy cocoon. It was now a jagged, virtually impenetrable pile of ice, longer than a football field and nearly as wide.

2. (figuratively) Incomprehensible; fathomless; inscrutable.

   Business jargon makes this document impenetrable, I can't understand it.

3. Opaque; obscure; not translucent or transparent.

   When night falls, she cloaks the world in impenetrable darkness.

Synonyms

• (not penetrable): impregnable, unfathomable
• (incomprehensible): See also Thesaurus:incomprehensible

Antonyms

• (not penetrable): penetrable, pregnable, fathomable
• (incomprehensible): See also Thesaurus:comprehensible

Translations

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin impenetr?bilis.

Adjective

impenetrable (masculine and feminine plural impenetrables)

1. impenetrable

Further reading

• “impenetrable” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “impenetrable” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “impenetrable” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “impenetrable” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin impenetr?bilis.

Adjective

impenetrable (plural impenetrables)

1. impenetrable

Further reading

• “impenetrable” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.