How to Use formidable in a Sentence

formidable

adjective
  • The mountains were a formidable barrier.
  • He has mastered a formidable amount of material.
  • As the day wears on, the crowd swells to a formidable throng.
    Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025
  • He was known as someone who used his formidable size to break up fights.
    Rick Jervis, USA TODAY, 8 June 2020
  • Some of them have come to beat formidable rivals at their own game.
    Ni Tao, Interesting Engineering, 27 June 2024
  • The fastest and most formidable predators of the seas may have just met their match.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 19 Apr. 2026
  • But she was guided by her formidable stage mom.
    Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2025
  • With the Padres’ bullpen still formidable, that may be enough.
    Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026
  • Such is the nature of a battle with a virus, our most formidable foe.
    Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, 17 May 2020
  • Illinois, on paper, is the more formidable team of the two on this road trip.
    Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 4 Feb. 2026
  • Ben Shelton’s drive to be formidable on a clay court has hit a sticky patch.
    Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 23 May 2026
  • His challenge is formidable, to say the least.
    Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Even the world's most formidable team of superheroes has to face mean tweets.
    Rebecca Farley, refinery29.com, 1 May 2018
  • That’s simply not the case right now, and the road ahead remains formidable.
    Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, 21 Jan. 2018
  • Its sheer size revealed just how formidable a hunter this feline was.
    Ari Daniel, NPR, 4 Feb. 2026
  • Not the wave of the future but the past’s formidable revenge.
    Hussein Agha, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
  • The three formed a formidable frontcourt that could score, pass and defend.
    Rob Peterson, New York Times, 26 July 2026
  • But the Lynx’s bench has been formidable all season.
    Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Women are much more formidable than people give them credit for in this age.
    Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
  • This quintet will be tested right out of the gate, as the Jets front is formidable.
    Jim McBride, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Nov. 2022
  • When the teams do take the field, ASU will face a formidable task.
    Michelle Gardner, The Arizona Republic, 31 Dec. 2021
  • Although the big three is a formidable one, the Warriors would love to add to their star trio.
    Ricardo Klein, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
  • The two men — both well cast — team up to go mano-a-mano against one formidable foe after another.
    Randy Myers, Mercury News, 11 June 2026
  • Texas Tech is a formidable team with an elite offense and defense.
    Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 10 Oct. 2025
  • The two form a formidable bond as the film riffs on Schwarzenegger’s star persona.
    Charna Flam, Variety, 10 June 2023
  • Better to play the odds on the road against a formidable opponent.
    Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 14 Sep. 2020
  • Nette was also a formidable athlete and presence in her own right.
    Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2026
  • The Vols will be formidable early, but then the bottom falls out.
    Charles Hollis, al, 18 Oct. 2019
  • This ancient city traces its roots back centuries as a formidable fortress retreat.
    Kieron Marchese, Architectural Digest, 27 July 2026
  • Echo along the way, Maya proves to be a formidable adversary.
    Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'formidable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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