different between formidable vs indomitable

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 Late Latin indomitabilis, from in- (“not”) + domitare, frequentative of dom?re (“to tame”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?n?d?m?t?bl?/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?n?d?m?t?bl?/

Adjective

indomitable (comparative more indomitable, superlative most indomitable)

1. Incapable of being subdued, overcome, or vanquished.
   • 1902, A. E. W. Mason, The Four Feathers, ch. 1:

     Personal courage and an indomitable self-confidence were the chief, indeed the only, qualities which sprang to light in General Feversham.

   • 1910, William Henry Hudson, A Shepherd's Life, ch. 7:

     But he was a youth of indomitable spirit, strong and agile as a wild cat.

   • 2007, Richard Corliss, "When Betty Got Frank," Time, 31 March:

     Nobody came on to the movie camera—wrapped it in a bear hug and wrestled it to submission—like Betty Hutton. They called this 40s singer-actress "the Blitzkrieg blond" . . . . [S]he was indomitable, unstoppable.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:indomitable

Related terms

Translations