Meanings
comparative fiercer · comparative more fierce · superlative fiercest · superlative most fierce
- Exceedingly violent, severe, ferocious, cruel or savage.
A fierce storm battered the coast.
2 more examples
Their fights with other members of their own kind were always preceded by loud and fierce waulings or savage snarling and snapping of teeth […]
2006, Kenneth Conibear, Northland FootprintsOne constituent spent an hour educating me on the history of pit bulls: the Molossians, the Mastiffs; the Greeks, Romans, Brits, Tibetans, and Germans; the crossbreeds. A common theme ran throughout their history: they were the fiercest of fighters, and eventually bred to fight—in wars during antiquity, in dog fights for centuries. Regardless, they were again and again attacking other dogs and people.
2012, Michael Bryant, 28 Seconds: A True Story of Addiction, Tragedy, and Hope, VikingSynonyms: furious, incessive, raging, ferocious, furious, rampant, grim, incessive
- Resolute or strenuously active.
I feel a fierce loyalty to my kin.
3 more examples
We made a fierce attempt to escape.
Yet his passion for her had grown fiercer than ever, and he swore to himself that he would win her back from her phantasies. She, one may believe, was ready enough to listen.
1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the TideTrump’s fiercest advocates have launched their Samson option: If he can’t keep power, they’ll bring down the party with him by calling for a boycott of the election.
2020 December 29, Frida Ghitis, “Trump has set Republicans up to fail in Georgia”, in CNN, archived from the original on 03 Oct 2022
- Irelandnot comparableslangrusticExtremely; very.
It was fierce cold last night.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveExceedingly violent, severe, ferocious, cruel or savage.
adjectiveThreatening in appearance or demeanor.
adjectiveExcellent, very good.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivemarked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions; inclined to react violently; fervid
adjectiveruthless in competition
adjectiveviolently agitated and turbulent
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinferus“wild", "untamed”
- Old Frenchfers“wild", "ferocious”
- Middle Englishfers
- Englishfierce
From Middle English fers, fiers, borrowed from Old French fers (“wild", "ferocious”), nominative of fer, from Latin ferus (“wild", "untamed”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek γοργός
- γοργός (gorgós)extremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
Bulgarian жесток, свиреп
- жесток (žestok)extremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- свиреп (svirep)extremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- буен (buen)resolute or strenuously active
- яростен (jarosten)resolute or strenuously active
- заплашителен (zaplašitelen)threatening in appearance or demeanor
Catalan ferotge, feroç
- ferotgeextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- feroçresolute or strenuously active
- ferotgethreatening in appearance or demeanor
Chinese Mandarin 殘忍 /残忍, 兇猛 /凶猛
- 殘忍 /残忍 (cánrěn)extremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- 兇猛 /凶猛 (xiōngměng)extremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
Czech krutý, nelítostný
- krutýextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- nelítostnýextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- zlýextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- urputnýresolute or strenuously active
- naprostýresolute or strenuously active
- ohrožujícíthreatening in appearance or demeanor
- divokýthreatening in appearance or demeanor
Danish vild, voldsom
- vildextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- voldsomextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- tapperresolute or strenuously active
- ihærdigresolute or strenuously active
- vildthreatening in appearance or demeanor
- frygtindgydendethreatening in appearance or demeanor
Dutch woest
- woestextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
Esperanto feroca
- ferocaextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
Finnish raivokas, raju
- raivokasextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- rajuextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- hurjaextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- hurjaresolute or strenuously active
- hurjathreatening in appearance or demeanor
French féroce
- féroceextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
German wild, heftig
- wildextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- heftigextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- bedrohlichthreatening in appearance or demeanor
Greek άγριος, τρομερός
- άγριος (ágrios)extremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- τρομερός (tromerós)extremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
Hindi हिंसक, क्रूर
- हिंसक (hinsak)extremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- क्रूर (krūr)extremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- उग्र (ugra)extremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
Hungarian vad, ádáz
- vadextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- ádázextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- dühödtextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- elszántresolute or strenuously active
- elkeseredettresolute or strenuously active
- veszedelmesthreatening in appearance or demeanor
- fenyegetőthreatening in appearance or demeanor
- iszonyúthreatening in appearance or demeanor
Icelandic svæsinn
- svæsinnextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
Irish fiánta, borb
- fiántaextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- borbextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
Italian feroce, risoluto
- feroceextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- risolutoresolute or strenuously active
Japanese 激しい
- 激しい (hageshii)extremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
Korean 맹렬하다
- 맹렬하다 (maengnyeolhada)extremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
Latin ferōx, trux
- ferōxextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- truxextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
Malay ganas, buas
- ganasextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- buasextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
Māori tainanakia, tarakaka
- tainanakiaextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- tarakakaextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- taratutūextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- tātāhauextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- totoaextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- wawanathreatening in appearance or demeanor
- tōtotothreatening in appearance or demeanor
- rōtarithreatening in appearance or demeanor
Norwegian voldsom
- voldsomextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
Persian درنده, ژیان
- درنده (darande)extremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- ژیان (žayân)extremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
Polish zawzięty
- zawziętyextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
Portuguese feroz, impetuoso
- ferozextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- impetuosoresolute or strenuously active
- ferrenhoresolute or strenuously active
- ferozthreatening in appearance or demeanor
Romanian feroce, fioros
- feroceextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- fiorosextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
Russian свире́пый, лю́тый
- свире́пый (svirépyj)extremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- лю́тый (ljútyj)extremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- неи́стовый (neístovyj)extremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- я́ростный (járostnyj)resolute or strenuously active
- свире́пый (svirépyj)threatening in appearance or demeanor
- гро́зный (gróznyj)threatening in appearance or demeanor
Scottish Gaelic fiadhaich
- fiadhaichextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
Spanish fiero, enconado
- fieroextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- enconadoextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- fierothreatening in appearance or demeanor
- torvothreatening in appearance or demeanor
Swedish våldsam, tapper
- våldsamextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- tapperresolute or strenuously active
- viljestarkresolute or strenuously active
- resolutresolute or strenuously active
- aktivresolute or strenuously active
- hotfullthreatening in appearance or demeanor
- skrämmandethreatening in appearance or demeanor
Tagalog mabangis
- mabangisextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
Turkish vahşi, sert
- vahşiextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- sertextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- azılıextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- azgınextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
- hararetliresolute or strenuously active
- vahşithreatening in appearance or demeanor
- sertthreatening in appearance or demeanor
Ukrainian лю́тий
- лю́тий (ljútyj)extremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
Welsh ffyrnig
- ffyrnigextremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with fierce
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
fierce. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fierce
“fierce.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fierce. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fierce,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fierce.
Source: fierce on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.