1
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
the ferocious appetite that athletic teenagers have been known to display
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2
as in fierce
marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity
ferocious forest fires threatened to destroy hundreds of homes in the scrubland
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3
as in savage
violently unfriendly or aggressive in disposition
the animal is known as a ferocious predator
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4
as in frantic
marked by great and often stressful excitement or activity
after a day of ferocious up-and-down trading, the stock market ended up down 300 points
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ferocious
Markets remain one all-caps Truth Social post away from either a meltdown or a ferocious rally.
—
Matt Egan, CNN Money, 15 May 2025
Since the ceasefire collapsed, a series of ferocious Israeli air strikes have killed hundreds of Gazans, many of them children, but the military has so far refrained from sending in its bolstered ground force.
—Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 14 May 2025
In place of horses or oxen, it's driven by a motored off-highway vehicle ranging from slow, steady workhorse to fast, ferocious dune-slayer.
—New Atlas, 9 May 2025
The crisis is in plain view and the wind is ferocious.
—Mark A. Cohen, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ferocious
Matt Egan, CNN Money, 15 May 2025
Since the ceasefire collapsed, a series of ferocious Israeli air strikes have killed hundreds of Gazans, many of them children, but the military has so far refrained from sending in its bolstered ground force.
—Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 14 May 2025
In place of horses or oxen, it's driven by a motored off-highway vehicle ranging from slow, steady workhorse to fast, ferocious dune-slayer.
—New Atlas, 9 May 2025
The crisis is in plain view and the wind is ferocious.
—Mark A. Cohen, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ferocious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ferocious
Adjective
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But Tranter and Bartlett said Trump may settle roughly into this range of having an approval rating between 43 percent and 47 percent given the intense polarization of the country, as has been common in the past couple administrations.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
31 May 2025
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Residents of Maoming, China were treated to a celestial light show earlier this week when a surprise fireball burst to life overhead, illuminating the city before disappearing in an intense flare of light.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
31 May 2025
Adjective
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Their love and fierce loyalty toward one another is a high point of Season 2.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
19 May 2025
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Johnson’s selection came over the fierce opposition of some of the school’s staunchest supporters, who celebrate FAMU’s legacy of Black excellence, social mobility and cultural pride.—
Kate Payne,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.—
Tom Yulsman,
Discover Magazine,
27 Dec. 2022
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The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Dec. 2022
Adjective
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There's no need for a language barrier to cause a frantic rush to cram in the language a week before your trip.—
Judy Koutsky,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
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There are unexpected movements, too, plus frantic activity between the more than 20 frames that surround the stage.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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Ryan Murphy has found his Kennedys after an intensive casting search for the first installment of his new FX anthology series, American Love Story.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
13 May 2025
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The department conducts an annual review of each state, and a more intensive one that’s supposed to be completed roughly every five years.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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The prosecution appears poised to use Combs' feud with Knight, as well as another series of encounters with rapper Kid Cudi, as demonstrative of a violent streak.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
28 May 2025
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Yet the Brazilian proceeded to show how Pereira’s faith was misplaced, first with a stroppy performance at Chelsea that prompted his head coach to publicly criticise his body language and then with his second violent meltdown of the season, against Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez in the FA Cup.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
Adjective
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The original 2006 film, which was adapted from Lauren Weisberger’s book of the same name, starred Meryl Streep as the powerful Miranda Priestley, Anne Hathaway as fashion newbie Andy Sachs, Emily Blunt as vicious assistant Emily and Stanley Tucci as Miranda’s right hand man Nigel.—
Rachel McRady,
People.com,
23 May 2025
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Wolves are vicious and intelligent group hunters, but dogs and thunderstorms famously do not mix.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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New York trailed by 13 with 5:38 left in the game and tried to continue the series’ streak of someone — Knicks or Pacers — making a furious fourth quarter comeback.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
27 May 2025
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Connecticut has funneled $12.5 billion in surpluses since 2017 to build reserves and scale back pension debt, a furious pace that far outstrips any similar effort in modern history.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
25 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ferocious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ferocious. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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