1
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
the ferocious appetite that athletic teenagers have been known to display
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in savage
violently unfriendly or aggressive in disposition
the animal is known as a ferocious predator
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of ferocious
The Kinneloa Fire dropped off the list of California’s most destructive fires entirely, as larger and more ferocious blazes consumed the state year after year.
—
Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
The Texans’ defense is ferocious.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026
After switching to a full-court press defensively, the Harborwomen slowly chipped away at their deficit with ferocious play.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
The new Auriga Explorer camper truck looks almost as fast and ferocious as a Dakar rig.
—New Atlas, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ferocious
Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
The Texans’ defense is ferocious.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026
After switching to a full-court press defensively, the Harborwomen slowly chipped away at their deficit with ferocious play.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
The new Auriga Explorer camper truck looks almost as fast and ferocious as a Dakar rig.
—New Atlas, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ferocious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ferocious
Adjective
-
Show producers in the documentary remember that things got so intense behind the scenes that the shows would even steal guests from each other, going to the hotels where guests stayed during filming to poach them.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
-
But the process of going through permits and working with the restoration company was intense.—
Conor McGill,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Competition remains fierce in the Charlotte region to grab a piece of the lucrative grocery market share.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Jan. 2026
-
But long before the fire destroyed a broad section of the San Gabriel Valley community, a small but fierce army of people devoted themselves to others who were without a home.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This league is a savage league.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
22 Dec. 2025
-
The fifth-place finisher also reveals the inspiration for her savage jury question to Savannah.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
As the family's frantic search begins, the media is quick to point the finger at Marissa and her friend, Jenny Kaminski (Elle Fanning), whose nanny, Carrie Finch (Sophia Lillis), becomes the prime suspect.—
Brenton Blanchet,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The dialogue is rooted in these testimonies, capturing the authentic prayers, words of comfort, and frantic internal debates that occurred as the staff navigated the complex military and bureaucratic hurdles required to dispatch an ambulance.—
Robert Lang,
Deadline,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Bringing that experience to the screen required intensive work with the film’s young leads, Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
12 Jan. 2026
-
When Indiana decided to build a water-intensive tech park in Lebanon — a city unable to provide the resource itself — the question of how the area would get water was inevitable.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Safavi said the blackout coincided with violent confrontations in several regions.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Parallel societies in certain urban areas and rising violent crime statistics linked to some migrant cohorts in countries such as Sweden and Germany led to the dramatic rise of populist and patriotic parties across the continent, from France to Italy to the Netherlands.—
Daniel Ross Goodman,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
These vicious youths fell the infected almost for sport, which undersells the source of terror so essential to the series.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Jan. 2026
-
His charges there include interference with law enforcement, criminal desecration and having a vicious dog at large, according to a news release from KCK police.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But as far back as 2024, signs began appearing that the furious pace of construction and the upward spiral of rents wouldn’t continue.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
13 Jan. 2026
-
As furious protests enter their third week and bring Iran to the precipice of change, the country’s theocratic government is trying to survive by harshly cracking down on the widening demonstrations.—
Mitchell McCluskey,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ferocious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ferocious. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
