Meanings
plural fiercenesses
- uncountableusuallyThe state of being fierce.
I stroked it gently, on which the mutinous rogue seemed to swell, and gather a new degree of fierceness and insolence; so that finding it grew not to be trifled with any longer, I prepar'd for rubbers in good earnest.
Fanny Hill
1749, [John Cleland], “(Please specify the letter or volume)”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], London: […] [Thomas Parker] for G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], →OCLC1 more example
Travellers over the London & North Western main line in bygone days will need no reminder of the pattering of cinders on the carriage roofs, the fountains of sparks from the chimneys at night and the distance from which the exhaust of approaching locomotives could be heard, due to the fierceness of their blast in such conditions.
1962 June, Cecil J. Allen, “Locomotive Running Past and Present”, in Modern Railways, page 399Synonyms: fiercity
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe state of being fierce.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe property of being wild or turbulent
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishfersnesse
- Englishfierceness
From Middle English fersnesse; equivalent to fierce + -ness.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French acharnement
- acharnementstate of being fierce
Hungarian ádázság, vadság
- ádázságstate of being fierce
- vadságstate of being fierce
Irish boirbe, fiántas
- boirbestate of being fierce
- fiántasstate of being fierce
Italian fierità
- fieritàstate of being fierce
Latin immānitās
- immānitāsstate of being fierce
Māori taratutū
- taratutūstate of being fierce
Spanish fiereza, feridad
- fierezastate of being fierce
- feridadstate of being fierce
Swahili ukali
- ukalistate of being fierce
Cite this entry
fierceness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fierceness
“fierceness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fierceness. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fierceness,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fierceness.
Source: fierceness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.