Meanings
comparative more formidably · superlative most formidably
- In a formidable manner.
But the Inspector was made of stern stuff. He closed his right hand and with the resulting fist pounded formidably on the bronze.
1933, Barnaby Ross, Drury Lane's Last Case, March 1946 republication as by Ellery Queen, Little, Brown, page 451 more example
The black-muzzled, tawny dog, a glimpse of which was seen in the chapter which first introduced its mistress to the reader, here gave tongue in the hall, amidst whose hollow space the deep bark resounded formidably.
1849, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], “Mr. Donne’s Exodus”, in Shirley. A Tale. […], volume II, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, page 99
Origin
- Latinformīdō“to fear, dread”
- Englishformidably
From Latin formīdō (“to fear, dread”) + -ably.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan formidablement
- formidablementin a formidable manner
Finnish mahtavasti, vaikuttavasti
- mahtavastiin a formidable manner
- vaikuttavastiin a formidable manner
- pelottavastiin a formidable manner
Italian formidabilmente
- formidabilmentein a formidable manner
Portuguese formidavelmente
- formidavelmentein a formidable manner
Spanish formidablemente
- formidablementein a formidable manner
Cite this entry
formidably. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/formidably
“formidably.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/formidably. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “formidably,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/formidably.
Source: formidably on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.