fierce

adjective

ˈfirs 

fiercer; fiercest

1

a

: violently hostile or aggressive in temperament

a fierce tiger

b

: given to fighting or killing : pugnacious

fierce fighters

2

a

: marked by unrestrained zeal or vehemence

a fierce argument

b

: extremely vexatious, disappointing, or intense

fierce pain

3

: furiously active or determined

make a fierce effort

4

: wild or menacing in appearance

5

informal : having or expressing bold confidence or style

When it comes to celebrity fashion, while the looks are fierce they're not always attainable.

—Marlen Komar

fierceness noun

Synonyms

• fell
• ferocious
• grim
• savage
• vicious

Choose the Right Synonym for fierce

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 fierce in a Sentence

He was killed in a fierce battle.

The proposal has faced fierce opposition.

The two teams have had a fierce rivalry for many years.

He's admired for his fierce independence.

You could see the fierce determination in her eyes.

Recent Examples on the Web

The death sentence has drawn fierce rebukes from various government and advocacy groups. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 26 Apr. 2024

The tech titans have been locked in a fierce battle for dominance in the field of artificial intelligence, with Microsoft joining forces with startup OpenAI to challenge Google’s two-decade stranglehold on internet search. —Julia Love, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2024

Frozen Pizza Soft consumer demand and fierce price competition in the US hit frozen food, including pizza, and organic sales contracted by 2.5% in North America overall, Nestle said. —Dasha Afanasieva, Fortune Europe, 25 Apr. 2024

The video, first shared on TikTok, shows the man who is allegedly Strahinja then unleashing a fierce punch to the other man’s face using his right fist. —Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024

Whereas a poet like Alvarez is playful, Winter is fierce; Villalta is commanding, while Lopez is wistful. —Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2024

As the race for generative AI heats up, Google’s Gemini model is in fierce competition with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude, to name just a couple. —Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024

Supporters of the changes have encountered fierce resistance from Democrats and opposition from some Republicans, who say the state’s elections are already secure. —Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2024

Guy Fieri, Amanda Freitag, Robert Irvine, Marc Murphy, Michelle Bernstein, Todd English, Michael Schwartz and more challenged each other to fierce matches of ping pong. —Melinda Sheckells, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fiers, from Anglo-French fer, fers, fiers, from Latin ferus wild, savage; akin to Greek thēr wild animal

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing fierce

• something fierce

Kids Definition

fierce

adjective

ˈfi(ə)rs 

fiercer; fiercest

1

a

: violently unfriendly or aggressive in disposition

b

: eager to fight or kill

2

: expressed with extreme force or anger : intense

a fierce argument

3

: furiously active or determined

a fierce effort

4

: wild or threatening in appearance

fiercely adverb

fierceness noun