ə̇n.ˈtiməˌdāt, usu -ād.+V transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Medieval Latin intimidatus, past participle of intimidare, from Latin in- in- (II) + timidus timid
: to make timid or fearful : inspire or affect with fear : frighten
despite his imposing presence and all the grandeur surrounding him, I was not intimidated — Polly Adler
especially : to compel to action or inaction (as by threats)
charged with intimidating public officials to get the government to buy machine guns he was selling — Time
Synonyms:
intimidate , cow , bulldoze , bully , browbeat agree in meaning to frighten or coerce by frightening means into submission or obedience. intimidate suggests a display or application (as of force or learning) so as to cause fear or a sense of inferiority and a consequent submission
most of these officials have been badly intimidated by the specter of a summons to appear before a Congressional committee — New Republic
many authors and publishers are not merely intimidated by the thought of footnotes; they are positively terrified — G.W.Sherburn
cow implies a reduction to a state where the spirit is broken or all courage lost
cowed into cooperation through fear of the gangsters — Michael Blundell
cowed the gang with his detective's star — J.T.Farrell
a ship's company cowed to groveling point — John Masefield
bulldoze , in its earliest sense signifying to intimidate or coerce by violence, now often can mean to force into line by an application of great force, not necessarily implying though often involving intimidation
a bulldozed people, shaking with the ague of the terrorized — W.L.Sullivan
the sheer strength of his reputation and the force of his will bulldozing them into making loans — F.L.Allen
the highly reputable gentlemen who were bulldozed into taking this responsibility have resigned — Robert Moses
bully implies intimidation or attempts to intimidate by swaggering overbearing behavior or by the use of unfair force
a mild, long-suffering woman will permit her husband to bully her for years, whereas another woman will react violently to the first beating — Jacob Fried
inevitable that the older boys should become mischievous louts; they bullied and tormented and corrupted the younger boys — H.G.Wells
browbeat implies a cowing by scornful contemptuous treatment, especially intellectual or moral oppression
were browbeaten into the hardest and most menial tasks — F.V.W.Mason
no wish to browbeat the reader into accepting my theory of myself or of anything else — George Santayana
browbeat students by a great display of learning