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.
Facing a ferocious defense, Williams was sacked once and threw one interception. Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Sep. 2025 The Cowboys rushed for 117 yards and allowed the one Parsons sack (with no yardage lost) against a ferocious Green Bay front. Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Sep. 2025 Meanwhile, his counterpart Jordan Love, who struggled against Cleveland’s ferocious defense last week, seemingly can bounce back in a big way. Mike Jones, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025 But now Minnesota has another veteran QB in Carson Wentz to pair with its ferocious defense. John Shipley, Twin Cities, 26 Sep. 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 1 Oct. 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

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