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Synonym Chooser

How is the word fierce different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of fierce are barbarous, cruel, ferocious, and savage. While all these words 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

Where would barbarous be a reasonable alternative to fierce?

While in some cases nearly identical to fierce, barbarous implies a ferocity or mercilessness regarded as unworthy of civilized people.

barbarous treatment of prisoners

When is it sensible to use cruel instead of fierce?

The meanings of cruel and fierce largely overlap; however, cruel implies indifference to suffering and even positive pleasure in inflicting it.

the cruel jokes of schoolboys

When would ferocious be a good substitute for fierce?

The synonyms ferocious and fierce are sometimes interchangeable, but ferocious implies extreme fierceness and unrestrained violence and brutality.

a ferocious dog

When can savage be used instead of fierce?

Although the words savage and fierce have much in common, savage implies the absence of inhibitions restraining civilized people filled with rage, lust, or other violent passion.

a savage criminal

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 fierce Amidst fierce competition and underhanded tactics from rivals, the film celebrates their resilience and the strength of their community. Zac Ntim, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025 Still without forwards Lauren Hemp, Mary Fowler and Kerolin through injury, City looked dynamic and fierce, capable of wreaking havoc via fresh angles. Megan Feringa, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025 Months after the Southern dining chain faced fierce backlash over a controversial logo rebrand blasted by critics, Cracker Barrel is giving away free pancakes to NFL fans in a bid to win back diners. Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2025 His steps toward those charges had been widely reported in the news media before May of 2024, and the fierce pushback from Israel and its allies was well known in diplomatic circles. David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fierce
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fierce
Adjective
  • In a competition bear-ly more ferocious, 12 chunky brown bears in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve have been battling it out in one of the most cutthroat places on the planet – the internet.
    Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2025
  • The numbers may not leap off the page, but one of Sunday’s most exciting clashes was the 60-minute chess match between the Detroit Lions’ run game and the Cleveland Browns’ ferocious defensive front.
    The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • During periods of intense rainfall, the risk of flooding increases, particularly in low-lying and flood-prone areas.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Safdie perceptively locates the protagonist’s troubling inner contradictions—the atavistic fury that drives him to compete and the intense self-control that competition demands—but dramatizes such outer crises as opioid addiction and conflict with his girlfriend (Emily Blunt) only schematically.
    Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • This pays off to some extent because Day-Lewis is such a mesmerizing presence, Ray’s gruff manner and terse communications hinting at dark mysteries to be revealed.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Panday plays a convincingly gruff tortured artist alongside Padda’s struggling ingenue, and most of the screen time is devoted to their pairing instead of introducing tertiary excess.
    Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Sell assets for picks and cap space and attack an aggressive rebuild this offseason.
    Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Control an aggressive infestation with a preemergent herbicide applied in late summer before chickweed seeds germinate.
    Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • While Memphis has seen high numbers of violent crimes such as homicides and carjackings in recent years, Democratic and Republican officials have noted decreases this year in some crime categories.
    Devon M. Sayers, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Even so, to take on one of the most famous women in history — and through a lens so bloody and violent — is a mighty tall order.
    Shirley Halperin, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Then a frantic 19-point rally in the closing minutes made the final score feel closer than most of the night’s action let on.
    Manny Navarro, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Getting these fragrance gifts early comes with the benefits of beating the frantic shopping rush and winning at Christmas.
    Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • McBride sets the political context for Swift’s savage indignation by noting that 1727–1729 saw three successive harvest failures in Ireland.
    Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 30 Sep. 2025
  • The singer went viral at Monday night’s show for her seemingly savage reaction to Tori Kelly and Muni Long’s tribute performance.
    DeMicia Inman, VIBE.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Over the next three days, Stafford and Hanton will lead you through an intensive, interactive bushcraft school.
    Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 5 Oct. 2025
  • In India, the government has begun pushing to decarbonize the iron and steel sector, one of the world’s most emissions-intensive industries, driven as much by resource and pollution pressures as by diplomacy.
    Felicia Jackson, Forbes.com, 3 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fierce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fierce. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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