Entry Word: fierce

Function: adjective

Meaning: 1 violently unfriendly or aggressive in disposition <the Vikings had a well-earned reputation for being fierce warriors>

Synonyms fell, ferocious, grim, savage, vicious

Related Words bellicose, belligerent, pugnacious, warlike; contentious, quarrelsome, truculent; menacing, threatening; bestial, brute, inhuman, inhumane; barbaric, uncivilized, wild; heartless, implacable, merciless, pitiless, relentless, ruthless, unrelenting, wanton; bloodthirsty, bloody, murderous; rapacious, ravenous, voracious

Near Antonyms amicable, congenial, friendly; compliant, submissive, tame, unaggressive; compassionate, kind, merciful; pacific, peaceable, peaceful; amiable, complaisant, obliging; human, humane; civilized, cultured

Antonyms gentle, mild

2 extreme in degree, power, or effect <a fierce wind made the frigid temperatures seem even worse> — see intense
3 harsh and threatening in manner or appearance <the fierce faces of the players on the opposing hockey team> — see grim 1
4 having or showing a bold forcefulness in the pursuit of a goal <a social reformer of fierce and fearless determination> — see aggressive 1
5 marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity <fierce fighting raged in the streets of the war-torn city> — see violent 1
6 marked by great and often stressful excitement or activity <fierce early-morning trading sent stocks soaring> — see furious 1