ˈfi(ə)rsəm, -iəs- adjective
1.
a. : arousing or likely to arouse fear, fright, or terror
a fearsome monster
a fearsome place it is, with a straight drop to the sea, hundreds of feet below — C.B.Nordhoff & J.N.Hall
a shadowy garret; sordid, dark, and fearsome — John Mason Brown
b. : awe-inspiring — often used as a generalized intensifier with the force of a superlative
the moment had a magical and fearsome quality
he had a fearsome sincerity that made good manners seem false — Mary McCarthy
she had acquired a perfectly fearsome artificial tact — Mary M. Colum
2. : timid , timorous
a little fearsome beast
the fearsome cook did not like dogs — Virginia D. Dawson & Betty D. Wilson
• fear·some·ly adverb
• fear·some·ness noun