redoubtable
Especially of a personEspecially of a person.: Eliciting respect; awe-inspiring, imposing.
» She was politely described as a redoubtable dowager.
AlanF_US · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
2 sensesEspecially of a person.
(humorous, sometimes)Eliciting respect; awe-inspiring, imposing.
The redoubtable New York Times has been called the “newspaper of record” of the United States.
ehrfurchtgebietend, ehrfurchterweckend, respekteinflößend
inspiring fear
Eliciting dread or fear; appalling, formidable.
Examples
1 sentencesShe was politely described as a redoubtable dowager.
Translations
3 languagesOrigin
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English redoutable (“worthy of honour, venerableThe adjective is derived from Late Middle English redoutable (“worthy of honour, venerable; frightening, terrible”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman redoutable and Middle French redoutable, redoubtable, from Old French redotable (modern French redoutable), from redoter (“to fear”) (whence Middle French redoubter, redouter, French redouter) + -able (suffix meaning ‘deserving of, worthy of’). Redoter is derived from re- (intensifying prefix) + doter (“to doubt; to fear”) (from Latin dubitō (“to doubt, be uncertain, waver in opinion”), probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dwi- (“apart, asunder; two”) + *bʰuH- (“to appear; to be; to become; to grow”), in the sense of being in two minds). By surface analysis, redoubt (“to dread”) + -able.
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Forms
more redoubtable, most redoubtable| Comparative | more redoubtable Lesson |
|---|---|
| Superlative | most redoubtable Lesson |
regular
Synonyms
2 synonyms- inspiring fear:formidableunnerving
Antonyms
1 antonymsWord family
3 related wordsLessons for this word
2 lessons- A2Comparatives — Because it has a comparative form
- A2Superlatives — Because it has a superlative form