1
2
3
4
5
6

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 The shelter had initially been targeted for a July 2025 opening, and has encountered fierce resistance from parts of the West Roxbury community since the state first began sharing its intention to house homeless families there last spring. Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 26 Oct. 2025 High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars. Bill Barrow, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025 One of the miracles of the fire is that the cedars did survive, mostly intact except for a few limbs that were broken in the fierce winds. Tribune News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Oct. 2025 In early September, transit officials in North Carolina released graphic video footage showing the fatal stabbing of Zarutska, which prompted fierce backlash against city and state officials. Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fierce
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fierce
Adjective
  • Andrew Garfield leads the feature that is now in production, portraying the leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II.
    Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2025
  • While there are plenty of realistic iterations featuring ferocious teeth and claws, there are also a wide variety of friendly figurines and plushies.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The intense taste and smell can make this tonic hard to stomach.
    Kathleen Ferraro, Verywell Health, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Part of what spurred intense interest, according to sources, was the success of Weapons, Zach Cregger’s summer horror hit.
    Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But encounters with the island’s residents, including with his gruff but warm-hearted landlady (played by German screen legend Hanna Schygulla), gradually alter his outlook.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 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
  • The Dallas Cowboys and team owner Jerry Jones have been very interested in the idea of getting aggressive ahead of the upcoming NFL trade deadline.
    Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Unlike their alligator cousins, which are known to occasionally attack people, American crocodiles are shyer and less aggressive.
    David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Once again, the debate in the book is not over whether or not people should be violent.
    Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
  • As a result, many legends are connected to its violent past, and its dungeon, in particular, is said to be haunted by tortured souls.
    Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Alongside Idris as the president, the lead ensemble cast of increasingly frantic White House officials, security advisors and senior military figures includes the likes of Rebecca Ferguson, Greta Lee, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Jason Clarke and Tracy Letts.
    Alex Ritman, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
  • The Broncos have had to open their season on the opposite side of the country the past two years — a frantic 56-45 win at Georgia Southern last year and a 34-7 loss to South Florida in August.
    Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Rader’s double life as a doting father and savage murderer is the subject of the new Netflix documentary My Father, the BTK Killer, based on his daughter Kerri Rawson’s search to make sense of the secret double life her father hid from his family.
    Johnny Dodd, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
  • The ensuing carnage was swift and savage.
    Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Gómez took the 5-day trip to Mexico City as a brief respite before starting intensive training to care for Noah at his home in New York City.
    Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
  • And the side hustle is time-intensive.
    Megan Sauer, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fierce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fierce. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on fierce

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!