Literary notes about Redoubtable (AI summary)
Literature often employs "redoubtable" to evoke a sense of formidable strength, respect, or even a touch of humor in characterizing individuals and forces. It is used to praise heroic qualities or to underscore the daunting nature of an adversary, as when a martial hero is described with an almost regal air [1] or when a general’s presence is both commanding and, at times, ironically rendered [2]. The term can elevate a figure to near-mythic status—as with a storied paladin in battle [3] or even in divine contexts where gods and warriors alike display awe-inspiring might [4]. It is equally effective in conveying an atmosphere of inevitable challenge or imperious seriousness, suggesting that those so labeled possess a power or renown that renders them both respected and cautiously approached [5, 6].
- And the royal umbrella was held over his head, while Yak-tails waved around that redoubtable hero of graceful mien.
— from The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1 - Meanwhile she folds up a cocked hat for that redoubtable old general at Bath, descriptive of her melancholy condition.
— from Bleak House by Charles Dickens - Among the slain that day was Roland, the redoubtable Paladin, commander of the frontier of Brittany.
— from The Moors in Spain by Stanley Lane-Poole - The Trojan battalions poured over the bridge, and Apollo with his redoubtable aegis led the way.
— from The Iliad by Homer - This renders him so redoubtable that none awaits his attack if flight is possible.
— from A Journal of the First Voyage of Vasco da Gama 1497-1499 - According to the circumstances, their nature makes them either very precious auxiliaries or very redoubtable adversaries.
— from The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life by Émile Durkheim
