formidable
adj.adj. describing someone or something that is very powerful, impressive, or difficult to deal with. You use this when you feel a mix of respect and a little bit of fear.
adj. inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, intense, or capable. Often used to describe opponents, challenges, or intellectual tasks.
The champion is a formidable opponent on the tennis court.
She has a formidable reputation as a lawyer who never loses a case.
The mountain range presented a formidable barrier to the early explorers, requiring months of preparation and significant physical endurance to cross.
From Middle English formidable, from Old French formidable, formible, from Latin formīdābilis (“formidable, terrible”), from formīdō (“fear, dread”).
Typically precedes the noun it modifies or follows a linking verb.