ferocious
Americanadjective
-
savagely fierce, as a wild beast, person, action, or aspect; violently cruel.
a ferocious beating.
- Synonyms:
- rapacious
-
extreme or intense.
a ferocious thirst.
adjective
Related Words
See fierce.
Other Word Forms
- ferociously adverb
- ferociousness noun
- ferocity noun
- nonferocious adjective
- nonferociously adverb
- nonferociousness noun
- unferocious adjective
- unferociously adverb
Etymology
Origin of ferocious
First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin ferōc-, stem of ferōx “savage, fierce” ( fer(us) “wild” ( feral 1, fierce ) + -ōx “having such an appearance”; akin to eye ( def. ), oculus ( def. ), -opsis ) + -ious
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Clarke also dismissed the $29-million lawsuit, which arose from a ferocious dispute among the sibling heirs to an Oregon winery fortune, with prejudice, so it can’t be refiled.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
What in fact kills patients is the ferocious overreaction of their immune systems, which cause widespread blood clotting and organ failure.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
Gyllenhaal zips between tones and styles with a ferocious abandon.
From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026
"Your wild imagination, your brave untethered womanhood, your ferocious gentleness is a guiding light to me."
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026
He caught another current of hot air in his wings and spiraled upward, looking out over a world of ferocious beauty.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
