formidable
基本释义
[adjective] inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, intense, or capable
[形容词] 通过令人印象深刻的庞大、强大、强烈或有能力来激起恐惧或尊敬的
深入解读
Formidable 一词源自拉丁语 formidare （使害怕），15世纪中期经古法语 formidable （可怕的、令人生畏的）进入英语开始用来表示“引起恐惧的”。
这个概念发展到现在多用于形容人、事物或情况因为庞大、强大、强烈或有能力到令人印象深刻或看起来非常困难而使人对其感到恐惧或尊敬，也就是指“可怕的、令人敬畏的”以及“艰巨的、难对付的”，比如：
- 她恬不知耻地承认自己一直对他不忠，这令他非常愤怒。他可怕的神色吓坏了她。
He became furious at her brazen admission that she had been cheating on him. His formidable look frightened her. - 他们克服重重障碍，弥合了他们之间的鸿沟。
They have overcome formidable obstacles to bridge the chasm between them.
反过来往好了说时， formidable 则相应表示由于形状巨大、数量众多、出类拔萃等而“令人惊叹的、令人钦佩的”或者说“巨大的、优秀的、杰出的”，比如：
- 她对自己的成就缄口不言，以至于现在很少有人知道她是当时的一名盖世英才。
She was so reticent about her achievements that nowadays few people know that she was one of the most formidable intellects of her time. - 他们持有的步枪、机枪、地雷和催泪弹数量惊人。
They possess a formidable arsenal of rifles, machine guns, landmines and teargas.
权威用例
民生领域还有不少短板，脱贫攻坚任务艰巨，城乡区域发展和收入分配差距依然较大，群众在就业、教育、医疗、居住、养老等方面面临不少难题。
In work on public wellbeing there are still many areas where we fall short; and poverty alleviation remains a formidable task. There are still large disparities in development between rural and urban areas, between regions, and in income distribution; and our people face many difficulties in employment, education, healthcare, housing, and elderly care.
出自十九大报告《决胜全面建成小康社会 夺取新时代中国特色社会主义伟大胜利》（Secure a Decisive Victory in Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects and Strive for the Great Success of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era）。
外刊例句
- It still has formidable defences to protect it against an exodus of capital.
它仍然具有强大的防御体系来保护自己免于资本大量外流。
——《经济学人》 - It was the pinnacle of his presidency, yet it lulled him, not to mention some potentially formidable Democrats, into assuming his re-election was certain.
那是他总统任期的巅峰，然而也让他产生了一种错觉，以为自己的连任已经十拿九稳，一些可能构成威胁的民主党人当时也是这样认为。
——《纽约时报》
常见短语
- formidable opponent – 强大的对手
- formidable challenge – 严峻的挑战
- formidable obstacle – 令人生畏的障碍
- formidable task – 艰巨的任务
- formidable presence – 令人敬畏的存在
- formidable enemy – 强大的敌人
- formidable force – 强大的力量
- formidable competitor – 强大的竞争对手
- formidable defense – 强大的防守
- formidable reputation – 令人敬畏的声誉
- formidable skill – 强大的技巧
- formidable opposition – 强大的反对力量
- formidable strength – 强大的力量
- formidable army – 强大的军队
- formidable leader – 强大的领导者
- formidable fortress – 强大的堡垒
- formidable resistance – 强大的抵抗力
- formidable intelligence – 令人生畏的智慧
- formidable talent – 强大的才能
- formidable capacity – 令人敬畏的能力
- formidable reputation – 强大的声誉
- formidable competitor – 强大的竞争对手
- formidable opponent – 强大的对手
- formidable challenge – 严峻的挑战
- formidable force – 强大的力量
- formidable presence – 令人敬畏的存在
- formidable defense – 强大的防守
- formidable reputation – 令人敬畏的声誉
- formidable skill – 强大的技巧
- formidable strength – 强大的力量
- formidable leader – 强大的领导者
- formidable fortress – 强大的堡垒
- formidable army – 强大的军队
- formidable resistance – 强大的抵抗力
- formidable talent – 强大的才能
- formidable capacity – 强大的能力
- formidable opposition – 强大的反对力量
- formidable intelligence – 强大的智慧
- formidable opponent – 强大的对手
- formidable challenge – 严峻的挑战
- formidable force – 强大的力量
- formidable presence – 令人敬畏的存在
- formidable defense – 强大的防御
- formidable reputation – 令人敬畏的声誉
- formidable skill – 强大的技巧
- formidable strength – 强大的力量
- formidable leader – 强大的领导者
- formidable fortress – 强大的要塞
- formidable army – 强大的军队
- formidable opponent – 强大的对手
深度学习
formidable (FORM id ul bul or for MID uh bul) This adjective frequently describes a person or situation that arouses fear or dread, though in less personal contexts something formidable might inspire admiration (see the second sentence below).
- Ariel decided to live with the annoyances of her medical condition than to face the formidable prospect of the major surgery that could remedy them.
- Meg has excellent grades, high test scores, extracurricular activities she’s devoted to, and a winning personality—a formidable combination for a college applicant.
——摘自《Fiske WordPower: The Most Effective System for Building a Vocabulary That Gets Results Fast》
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令人敬畏（FORM id ul bul或MID uh bul的意思）这个形容词经常描述一个引起恐惧或恐惧的人或情况，尽管在不太个人化的情况下，令人敬畏的东西可能会引起钦佩（见下面的第二句）。
- Ariel决定忍受自己身体状况的烦恼，而不是面对可以治愈这些烦恼的大手术的可怕前景
- 梅格有着优异的成绩、高的考试成绩、她热衷的课外活动和成功的个性——这对一个大学申请人来说是一个可怕的组合
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同近义词
intimidating: having a frightening, overawing, or threatening effect
forbidding: unfriendly or threatening in appearance
redoubtable: (of a person) formidable, especially as an opponent
