fearsome en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈfiəsəm/ (New-Zealand)
- /ˈfɪːsəm/ (British, Southern, Standard)
- /ˈfiɾsəm/ (Scotland)
- [ˈfiːɾsəm] (Scotland)
- /ˈfɪjəsəm/ (British, Southern, Standard)
- /ˈfɪɹsəm/ (US)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈfɪəsəm/ (Australia, Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
Etymology tree English fear Proto-Indo-European *sem- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *somHós Proto-Germanic *samaz Proto-Germanic *-samaz Proto-West Germanic *-sam Old English -sum Middle English -som English -some English fearsome From fear + -some. Compare German furchtsam (“fearful”, obsolete also “fearsome”); this is more closely equivalent to English frightsome, however.
Meanings
-
Frightening, especially in appearance.
The warriors faced a fearsome enemy.
truly fearsome
She gave him a fearsome glare.
The dire wolf, Aenocyon dirus, which was the inspiration for the fearsome canine featured in the HBO TV series “Game of Thrones,” was a top predator that once roamed North America. (HBO shares parent company Warner Bros. Discovery with CNN.)
2025 April 7, Katie Hunt, “Scientists say they have resurrected the dire wolf”, in CNN, archived from the original on 27 Apr 2025:fearsome reputation
fearsome weapon
- (archaic, rare) fearful, frightened
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more fearsome | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most fearsome | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
unfearsome · fearsomely · fearsomeness · fearsome critter
Relateds
Translations (23)
sv skräckinjagande (frightening, especially in appearance) · bg страшен (frightening, especially in appearance) · de fürchterlich (frightening, especially in appearance) · cmn 可怕的 (frightening, especially in appearance) · ka საშინელი (frightening, especially in appearance) · fr effroyable (frightening, especially in appearance) · bg страховит (frightening, especially in appearance) · ga scanrúil (frightening, especially in appearance) · pt temível (frightening, especially in appearance) · de furchterregend (frightening, especially in appearance) · ru страшный (frightening, especially in appearance) · es temible (frightening, especially in appearance) · fi pelottava (frightening, especially in appearance) · fr effrayant (frightening, especially in appearance) · ka შემაშინებელი (frightening, especially in appearance) · ca temible (frightening, especially in appearance) · pdt forchtsom (frightening, especially in appearance) · pl straszny (frightening, especially in appearance) · ml ഭയാനക (frightening, especially in appearance) · sh zastràšujūćī (frightening, especially in appearance) · ru грозный (frightening, especially in appearance) · mi wewehi (frightening, especially in appearance) · mi wehiwehi (frightening, especially in appearance)