different between monstrous vs formidable

English

Etymology

From Middle English monstrous, from Old French monstrueuse, monstrüos, from Latin m?nstr?sus. Compare monstruous.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?m?nst??s/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?m?nst??s/
• Hyphenation: mon?strous

Adjective

monstrous (comparative more monstrous, superlative most monstrous)

1. Hideous or frightful.
2. Enormously large.

   a monstrous height
3. Freakish or grotesque.

   • The irregular and monstrous births

   • 1650, Jeremy Taylor, The rule and exercises of holy living

     He, therefore, that refuses to do good to them whom he is bound to love […] is unnatural and monstrous in his affections.

4. Of, or relating to a mythical monster; full of monsters.
5. (obsolete) Marvellous; exceedingly strange; fantastical.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:gigantic

Translations

Middle English

Adjective

monstrous

1. Alternative form of monstruous

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.