ferocious

adjective

fe·​ro·​cious fə-ˈrō-shəs 

1

: exhibiting or given to extreme fierceness and unrestrained violence and brutality

a ferocious predator

the ferocious butchery of women and children

2

: extremely intense

ferocious heat

The competition among the students was ferocious.

ferociously adverb

ferociousness noun

Synonyms

• acute
• almighty
• blistering
• deep
• dreadful
• excruciating
• explosive
• exquisite
• fearful
• fearsome
• fierce
• frightful
• furious
• ghastly
• hard
• heavy
• heavy-duty
• hellacious
• intense
• intensive
• keen
• profound
• terrible
• vehement
• vicious
• violent

Choose the Right Synonym for ferocious

fierce, ferocious, barbarous, savage, cruel mean showing fury or malignity in looks or actions.

fierce applies to humans and animals that inspire terror because of their wild and menacing aspect or fury in attack.

fierce warriors

ferocious implies extreme fierceness and unrestrained violence and brutality.

a ferocious dog

barbarous implies a ferocity or mercilessness regarded as unworthy of civilized people.

barbarous treatment of prisoners

savage implies the absence of inhibitions restraining civilized people filled with rage, lust, or other violent passion.

a savage criminal

cruel implies indifference to suffering and even positive pleasure in inflicting it.

the cruel jokes of schoolboys

Examples of ferocious in a Sentence

A ferocious wind swept the beach.

The competition among the students was ferocious.

Recent Examples on the Web

Cooper has been a significant part of that success as a ferocious defender up front. —Ryan McFadden, The Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2024

This deadly drop combines mutant healing factor with killer instincts to bring you five ferocious cards inspired by the X-Men’s most relentless member, including an all-new, legendary Wolverine card. —Jennifer Maas, Variety, 18 Oct. 2024

With the Standard-Range battery, the motors combine to deliver 452 horsepower but with the Extended-Range battery the horsepower bangs up to a ferocious 580. —Josh Max, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024

The force of the blast that killed Nasrallah was so ferocious that hundreds of thousands of people in the Dahieh, the collective name for the capital’s southern suburbs, fled their homes in the middle of the night, transforming the area into a ghost town. —Rania Abouzeid, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin feroc-, ferox, literally, fierce looking, from ferus + -oc-, -ox (akin to Greek ōps eye) — more at eye

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

ferocious

adjective

fe·​ro·​cious fə-ˈrō-shəs 

1

: fierce sense 1, savage

2

: very great : extreme

ferocious heat

ferociously adverb

ferociousness noun

ferocity

fə-ˈräs-ət-ē

noun