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
Both general elections are expected to be competitive, but only the New Jersey Democratic primary has featured ferocious competition out of the four party primaries.
—
Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 19 May 2025
The same starting unit that fluctuated between scary and weary all season was the one that led a ferocious comeback from down 14 points to snag a commanding lead.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 16 May 2025
Videos from people in the crowd posted to social media showed a ferocious downpour, and the National Weather Service warned of possible 80 mph winds in the Chicago suburb of Tinley Park.
—Phil Helsel, NBC news, 16 May 2025
Markets remain one all-caps Truth Social post away from either a meltdown or a ferocious rally.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ferocious
Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 19 May 2025
The same starting unit that fluctuated between scary and weary all season was the one that led a ferocious comeback from down 14 points to snag a commanding lead.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 16 May 2025
Videos from people in the crowd posted to social media showed a ferocious downpour, and the National Weather Service warned of possible 80 mph winds in the Chicago suburb of Tinley Park.
—Phil Helsel, NBC news, 16 May 2025
Markets remain one all-caps Truth Social post away from either a meltdown or a ferocious rally.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ferocious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ferocious
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
The feedback was fierce—storyboards dismantled, ideas shredded—but the environment was psychologically safe.—
Ann Kowal Smith,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
-
Caron was used to seeing my fiery side, the fierce competitor, the demanding coach.—
Jim Calhoun with Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
31 May 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
The frantic imagery was shot using a Ronin 4D and a Filmotechnic Technoscope F27 crane to embellish a feeling of claustrophobia.—
Daron James,
IndieWire,
27 May 2025
-
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
-
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
-
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
Adjective
-
Individual plots veer between cartoonish farce (the gang accidentally makes friends with a violent criminal) and more mundane problems (Billie loses her insurance and gets into medical debt).—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
28 May 2025
-
This sweeping action included both nonviolent participants and those convicted of violent crimes against law enforcement.—
Alia Shoaib,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
There are other objects of worship from the days when Japan’s Christians had to hide from vicious persecution, including a ceramic bottle of holy water from Nakaenoshima, an island where Hidden Christians were martyred in the 1620s.—
Foster Klug,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2025
-
Years before the Kendrick Lamar and Drake imbroglio, Pusha T shared his own vicious diss track against the Canadian hip-hop superstar.—
Matthew Strauss,
Pitchfork,
3 June 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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 9 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share