What does "redoubtable" mean?
A person who elicits respect.
Redoubtable
/ɹɪˈdaʊtəbl̩/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person who elicits respect.
- Grammar: redoubtable is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: formidable, appalling, astounding, august.
- Useful contrasts: feeble, harmless, insignificant.
- Usage evidence: She was politely described as a redoubtable dowager.
How to use "redoubtable"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "redoubtable" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "redoubtable" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "redoubtable" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person who elicits respect. humorous, in-plural, often, sometimes
- 2 A person who elicits dread or fear; a formidable person. in-plural, often
"Had you sought the Lady's court yourself.— / Faced the redoubtables composing it, / Flattered this, threatened that man, bribed the other,— / Pleaded, by writ and word and deed, your cause,— / Conquered a footing inch by painful inch,— / And, after long years' struggle, pounced at last / On her for prize,—the right life had been lived."
Adjective
- 1 Especially of a person.; Eliciting respect; awe-inspiring, imposing. humorous, sometimes
"The redoubtable New York Times has been called the “newspaper of record” of the United States."
- 2 Especially of a person.; Eliciting dread or fear; appalling, formidable.
"[I]t pleaſed the grekes at that tyme to ſe yͤ body of Hector ſo trayned by Achilles⸝ bycauſe he was wont to be ſo redoubtab[l]e to them⸝ […]"
Adjective
- 1 inspiring fear wordnet
- 2 worthy of respect or honor wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"She was politely described as a redoubtable dowager."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "redoubtable"?
Common synonyms include: formidable, appalling, astounding, august, awe inspiring, awe-inspiring.
How do you use "redoubtable" in a sentence?
She was politely described as a redoubtable dowager.
How do you pronounce "redoubtable"?
Pronounced /ɹɪˈdaʊtəbl̩/.
Etymology
The 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). The noun is derived from the adjective.