formidable
恐るべき
解説 Definition
formidable は、強大で恐るべき、手ごわいという意味の形容詞です。動詞の活用形ではなく、原形のまま名詞の前や be 動詞の後で使われます。
Something or someone formidable inspires fear, respect, or concern because of exceptional strength, ability, size, or difficulty. The adjective commonly describes powerful opponents, defenses, challenges, or physical obstacles that are hard to overcome.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
formidable はラテン語の「恐れ」に関わる語から来た形容詞で、「相手に恐れを抱かせるほど強大・困難」が核。a formidable opponent、a formidable defense のように、単に frightening な外見ではなく、実力や規模のため容易に対処できない対象に使う。
Connect formidable with something so powerful or difficult that it makes you hesitate before facing it. A formidable opponent is not merely frightening in appearance; the opponent has enough skill or strength to be genuinely hard to defeat. Likewise, a formidable defense is difficult to break, and a formidable mountain seems extremely challenging to climb. Remember these common pairings rather than treating the word as a general synonym for scary. It is already the base adjective, not an inflected verb form, and can appear before a noun or after a linking verb.
例文
The team has a formidable defense.
そのチームには恐るべき守備力があります。
She faced a formidable opponent in the final.
彼女は決勝で手ごわい相手と対戦しました。
The mountain looked formidable from the valley.
谷から見ると、その山は恐ろしく険しそうに見えました。
formidable の類義語・関連語
派生語
formidable の語源・成り立ち Etymology
formidable はフランス語 formidable から入り、さらにラテン語 formidabilis「恐れを起こさせる」にさかのぼります。語根 formid- は formido「恐れ」、-able は「…しうる」なので、もともとは「人に恐れを感じさせる」が核で、そこから「恐るべき」「手ごわい」の意味になりました。関連語は formidably, formidability。
Formidable entered English through French formidable and ultimately comes from Latin formidabilis, meaning “causing fear” or “dreadful.” That adjective was formed from formido, “fear” or “dread,” together with an adjectival suffix corresponding to English -able. The word first emphasized the ability to inspire fear, then developed its common modern sense of being impressively powerful, capable, or difficult to overcome. Formidably and formidability are later members of the same word family.
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