Standard Lemma guide

intimidation

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɪntɪmɪˈdeɪʃən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N T IH2 M IH0 D EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act of making timid or fearful or of deterring by threats; the state of being intimidated.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the act of intimidating a weaker person to make them do something

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bullying

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: aggression

Narrower terms: terrorization, terrorisation, frightening

3

noun

Meaning 3

a communication that makes you afraid to try something

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: determent, deterrence

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: discouragement

4

noun

Meaning 4

the feeling of being intimidated; being made to feel afraid or timid

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: fear, fearfulness, fright

5

noun

Meaning 5

the feeling of discouragement in the face of someone's superior fame or wealth or status etc.

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: discouragement, disheartenment, dismay

History

Etymology

From intimidate + -ion. Compare French intimidation; perhaps modeled on it.

Across languages

Translations

44 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: تَرْهِيب (tarhīb) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Arabic: تَخْوِيف (taḵwīf) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Arabic: تَهْوِيل (tahwīl) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Arabic: تَهْدِيد (tahdīd) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Belarusian: запало́хванне (zapalóxvannje) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Belarusian: запу́жванне (zapúžvannje) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Belarusian: застра́шванне (zastrášvannje) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Bulgarian: спла́шване (splášvane) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Bulgarian: запла́шване (zaplášvane) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Catalan: intimidació — act of making timid or fearful
  • Chinese Mandarin: 恐嚇 /恐吓 (kǒnghè) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Chinese Mandarin: 威嚇 /威吓 (wēihè) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Chinese Mandarin: 脅迫 /胁迫 (xiépò) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Czech: zastrašování — act of making timid or fearful
  • Dutch: intimidatie — act of making timid or fearful
  • Finnish: pelottelu — act of making timid or fearful
  • Finnish: uhkailu — act of making timid or fearful
  • French: intimidation — act of making timid or fearful
  • Galician: intimidación — act of making timid or fearful
  • German: Einschüchterung — act of making timid or fearful
  • Hungarian: megfélemlítés — act of making timid or fearful
  • Indonesian: intimidasi — act of making timid or fearful
  • Italian: intimidazione — act of making timid or fearful
  • Japanese: 脅迫 (kyōhaku) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Japanese: 脅威 (kyōi) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Japanese: 恫喝 (dōkatsu) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Kazakh: құқай (qūqai) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Korean: 협박 (hyeopbak) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Korean: 위협 (wihyeop) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Macedonian: застрашување (zastrašuvanje) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Polish: zastraszenie — act of making timid or fearful
  • Portuguese: intimidação — act of making timid or fearful
  • Romanian: intimidare — act of making timid or fearful
  • Russian: запу́гивание (zapúgivanije) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Russian: устраше́ние (ustrašénije) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Serbo-Croatian: застраши́ва̄ње — act of making timid or fearful
  • Serbo-Croatian: zastrašívānje — act of making timid or fearful
  • Slovak: zastrašovanie — act of making timid or fearful
  • Slovene: zastraševanje — act of making timid or fearful
  • Slovene: ustrahovanje — act of making timid or fearful
  • Spanish: intimidación — act of making timid or fearful
  • Telugu: బెదిరింపు (bedirimpu) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Ukrainian: заля́кування (zaljákuvannja) — act of making timid or fearful
  • Ukrainian: застра́шування (zastrášuvannja) — act of making timid or fearful
Real reading context

intimidation in complete knowledge articles