ferocious

adjective

fe·ro·cious | \ fə-ˈrō-shəs

Definition of ferocious

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.

Other Words from ferocious Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about ferocious

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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 ferocious response to such an innocuous request is telling in itself. — The Economist, "Stone-carving villagers make Indian officials jittery," 7 June 2018 The Americans quickly mobilized a ferocious response, including AC-130 gunships, jet warplanes and Apache attack helicopters. — Washington Post, "Putin ally said to be in touch with Kremlin, Assad before his mercenaries attacked U.S. troops," 7 Mar. 2018 The Americans quickly mobilized a ferocious response, including AC-130 gunships, jet warplanes and Apache attack helicopters. — Anchorage Daily News, "Putin ally said to be in touch with Kremlin, Assad before his mercenaries attacked U.S. troops," 23 Feb. 2018 Will Weatherford, a former speaker of the Florida House, said on Tuesday that the ferocious public response to the Parkland shooting exposed pent-up feelings of horror and fear that have mounted over time. — Julie Turkewitz And Alexander Burns, New York Times, "Florida Republicans Face Mounting Pressure to Act on Gun Control," 21 Feb. 2018 Other snubs this year include no love for Nathan Lane, who won a statue last year for his ferocious performance as Roy Cohn in Angels in America and is giving an expert comic turn this season in Gary. — Adam Green, Vogue, "Takeaways From the 2019 Tony Nominations: Downtown Comes to Broadway," 30 Apr. 2019 Marlon's wife, Coral, and all of their eggs are attacked by a ferocious fish, leaving Nemo and Marlon the only survivors. — Stacey Grant, Seventeen, "20 Insane Disney Movie Fan Theories That Will Blow. Your. Mind.," 16 Apr. 2019 Investors have in recent months been repeatedly unnerved by Musk’s frantic, ferocious leadership style. — Drew Harwell, The Seattle Times, "Musk’s tweet on pushing Tesla to go private shocks investors," 7 Aug. 2018 An unknown number of others have already been forced out of their homes or killed in the government’s ferocious campaign against eastern Ghouta. — Washington Post, "Syrian rebels to leave key town in eastern Ghouta enclave," 22 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ferocious.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.