unintimidated

Unintimidated means not feeling or showing fear, nervousness, or awe in response to a difficult or intimidating situation. It describes someone who remains calm, confident, and ready to act, rather than someone who has been overawed by authority, scale, or complexity. The adjective is commonly used with verbs such as feel, remain, and look, as in “feel unintimidated by the challenge,” and it can also appear before a noun. Its connotation is positive: being unintimidated suggests steadiness and self-possession, not merely the absence of fear. In ordinary use, it is informal but widely understood in British and American English. The word is useful because it captures a particular kind of emotional resilience: the ability to face something formidable without shrinking from it. It can also imply that one has not been discouraged by earlier pressure or criticism.

Not feeling or showing fear, nervousness, or awe in the face of something difficult or intimidating.

Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.

Where does unintimidated come from?

Unintimidated was formed from the English verb intimidate with the negative prefix un-, meaning “not.” Intimidate comes from Latin intimidare, “to make timid,” built from in- (“into”) and timidus (“timid”). The English form developed from the idea of making someone timid or afraid, while the prefixed adjective expresses the absence of that intimidating effect.

How unintimidated is actually used

Most often used with verbs such as “feel,” “remain,” and “look.” It generally has a positive connotation of confidence, emotional resilience, and self-possession, although it can sometimes suggest an absence of appropriate caution.

Easily confused with unintimidated

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Words and phrases paired with unintimidated

What's the opposite of unintimidated?

Rhymes with unintimidated