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 race to the bottom has been so ferocious this year that Beijing stepped in to rein in manufacturers, though economists believe deflationary pressures are unlikely to ease soon. —John Liu, CNN Money, 11 Dec. 2025

Crowe was ferocious in 2020’s Unhinged as a MAGA type in an emotional-support truck who becomes obsessed with destroying a young mother who honked at him too emphatically. —Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2025

The ferocious lobbying that will develop on the regulatory question has only just begun, most notably with a $100,000,000 super PAC called Leading the Future that will be the major AI industry force against state-by-state regulation. —Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025

These mobs can be so ferocious that Kennerley and his colleagues need to cage the taxidermy cuckoo used in their experiments to protect it. —Jesse Greenspan, Scientific American, 10 Dec. 2025

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