φοβερός
Alt. φοβερός, ή, όν
Etym. φόβος
"fearful", whether act. or pass.:
I. act. "causing fear, dreadful, terrible, formidable", Hdt., Aesch., etc.; πλήθει φ. "formidable" only from numbers, Thuc.; c. inf., φ. ἰδεῖν, φ. προσιδέσθαι "fearful" to behold, Aesch., Eur.: τὸ ξύνηθες τοῖς πολίταις φοβερόν the "terror" habitual to the people, Thuc.
2. "matter for fear, regarded with fear", οὐδὲ ὅρκος φ. id=Thuc.; φοβεροὶ ἦσαν μὴ ποιήσειαν they "gave cause for fear" lest.., Xen.; τὸ φ. "terror, danger", id=Xen.; φοβερόν [ἐστι] μὴ.. there is "reason to dread" that.., id=Xen.
II. pass. "feeling fear, afraid, timid", Soph., Thuc., etc.
2. "caused by fear, panic", Thuc.; φ. φροντίδες "anxious" thoughts, Plat.
III. adv. -ρῶς, in both senses, Xen., etc.; comp., φοβερώτερον, Sup., -ώτατα, id=Xen.