ferocious

adjective

fe·​ro·​cious fə-ˈrō-shəs How to pronounce ferocious (audio)
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
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But this team was special, with a watertight defence combined with a ferocious forward line of Ronaldo (his best goalscoring season for United), Rooney and Tevez. Nick Miller, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025 This ferocious, steep-banked corner possesses a wild 24% gradient, a nod to Spain’s bullfighting heritage. Kanzah Maktoum, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025 Wolverines are members of the weasel family, like ferrets and badgers, and are known for being ferocious and cunning carnivores. Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2025 Newsletter Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news Tales of gladiators going head-to-head with ferocious lions in ancient Rome’s coliseum are legendary. Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 23 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ferocious

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of ferocious was in 1646

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ferocious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ferocious. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

ferocious

adjective
fe·​ro·​cious fə-ˈrō-shəs How to pronounce ferocious (audio)
1
2
: very great : extreme
ferocious heat
ferociously adverb
ferociousness noun
ferocity
fə-ˈräs-ət-ē
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on ferocious

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!