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 of ferocious

• intense
• fierce
• intensive
• terrible
• furious
• deep

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

The nightmare grows more and more fierce as guests venture through the haunted house, encountering ferocious Deadites around every turn before succumbing to the evil forces themselves. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 21 July 2026

Visitors will enter the Price family’s secluded vacation home in the woods, succumb to ferocious flesh-eating Deadites and pass through other twisted scenes from the latest movie in the Evil Dead Burn haunted house. — Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 21 July 2026

Argentina’s helter-skelter run to the final will come up against its greatest test and their ferocious mentality won’t quite be enough against a better team in all regards. — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 20 July 2026

Adult ladybugs are most known for eating aphids, but the various species are ferocious hunters of varied prey. — Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2026

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

Rhymes for ferocious

• atrocious
• precocious

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