Definition
Made to feel frightened, nervous, or lacking confidence, usually by someone's threatening behavior.
Etymology
From Latin 'in-' (to make) + 'timidus' (fearful, shy). The root 'timid' appears in many English words. The word spread through Romance languages before reaching English.
Kelly Says
Intimidation actually works less well than people think—research shows that scared people either freeze or rebel, rarely cooperate willingly. Bullies and dictators depend on people not realizing that intimidation is secretly a sign of weakness, not strength.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
አ mied (a mied)
a mied
ARالعربية
رهيب (rahīb)
ra-hib
BNবাংলা
ভয়ানক (bhoyank)
bhoy-ank
CACatalà
intimidat
in-ti-mi-dat
DADansk
intimideret
in-ti-mi-de-ret
DEDeutsch
erschrocken
er-shro-ken
ELΕλληνικά
τρομοκρατημένος (tromokratiménos)
tro-mo-kra-te-men-os
ESEspañol
intimidado
in-tim-i-da-do
FAفارسی
ترسیده (tarsīdeh)
tar-si-deh
FISuomi
pelokka
pe-lo-kka
FRFrançais
intimidé
in-ti-me-de
GUGU
ભયभीત (bhayabhit)
bhaya-bhit
HEעברית
מוטרד (motrad)
mo-trad
HIहिन्दी
डराया गया (daraya gaya)
da-ra-ya ga-ya
HUMagyar
megfélemlítve
meg-fe-le-mi-tve
IDBahasa Indonesia
ditakuti
di-ta-ku-ti
ITItaliano
intimorito
in-ti-mo-ri-to
JA日本語
威圧された (i-atsu sa-reta)
i-a-tsu sa-re-ta
KKKK
көтерілген (köteri-lgen)
kö-te-ri-lgen
KO한국어
겁을 먹었다 (geop-eul meok-eo-tta)
gep-eol meok-eo-tta
MRMR
भयभीत (bhayabhit)
bhaya-bhit
MSBahasa Melayu
dibimbing
di-bim-bing
MYမြန်မာ
လွမ်းလွမ်း (lwon lwon)
lwon lwon
NLNederlands
ingevreesd
in-ge-vrees-t
NONorsk
intimidert
in-ti-mi-dert
PLPolski
przestraszony
prz-es-tra-so-ny
PTPortuguês
intimidado
in-tim-i-da-do
RORomână
înfricat
in-fri-kat
RUРусский
испуганный
is-pu-gan-nyy
SVSvenska
intimiderad
in-ti-mi-de-rad
TAதமிழ்
பயந்திருக்கிறேன் (payanthirukki-re-n)
pa-yan-thir-ruk-ki-re-n
TEతెలుగు
భయపడిన (bhayapadin)
bhaya-pa-din
THไทย
หวาดกลัว (wat-glua)
wat-glua
TRTürkçe
korkutulmuş
kor-tu-tu-mush
UKУкраїнська
ляканий
ya-ka-niy
URاردو
خوف زدہ (khoof zida)
kho-of zi-da
VITiếng Việt
bị khiếp sợ
bi khi-ep so
ZH中文
被吓倒了 (bèi xià dǎo le)
beh hia dow leh
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Gendered in application: women's silence and withdrawal is historically attributed to intimidation and fear, while men's is often attributed to strategy or disagreement. This asymmetry reflects power dynamics that silence women's perspectives.
Inclusive Usage
When reporting intimidation, center the subject's agency and context. Avoid assuming emotional cause; use 'discouraged from participating,' 'excluded,' or 'created hostile environment' for structural analysis.
Inclusive Alternatives
["silenced","excluded","deterred","discouraged"]