ferocious

[ fuh-roh-shuhs ]

/ fəˈroʊ ʃəs /

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adjective

savagely fierce, as a wild beast, person, action, or aspect; violently cruel: a ferocious beating.

extreme or intense: a ferocious thirst.

Nearby words

ferndale, fernery, ferning, ferny, fernández de lizardi, ferocious, ferocity, ferr-, ferrar, ferrara, ferrari

Origin of ferocious

1640–50; < Latin ferōc-, stem of ferōx savage, fierce (fer(us) wild (see feral¹, fierce) + -ōx having such an appearance; akin to -opsis) + -ious

SYNONYMS FOR ferocious

1 rapacious. See fierce.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ferocious ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

fe·ro·cious·ly, adverbfe·ro·cious·ness, nounnon·fe·ro·cious, adjectivenon·fe·ro·cious·ly, adverb

non·fe·ro·cious·ness, nounun·fe·ro·cious, adjectiveun·fe·ro·cious·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ferociousness

There was a fascination in his manner that made the ferociousness of his antagonist subside into impotence.
Caleb Williams|William Godwin
You are radically polite; this impetuosity and ferociousness is simply the sincerity which is the basis of a proper deportment.
The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales|Bret Harte
There was ferociousness in the heart of the Indian, but Grace's voice had stayed his hand.
Grace Harlowe's Overland Riders in the Great North Woods|Jessie Graham Flower
The brutality of the police, equalled in ferociousness the massacre of the Yeomanry Cavalry.
The Battle of The Press|Theophila Carlile Campbell

His personal misfortunes will prove the anarchy of the government and the ferociousness of the times.
The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire|Edward Gibbon

British Dictionary definitions for ferociousness

ferocious

/ (fəˈrəʊʃəs) /

adjective

savagely fierce or cruela ferocious tiger; a ferocious argument

Derived Forms

ferociously, adverbferocity (fəˈrɒsɪtɪ) or ferociousness, noun

Word Origin for ferocious

C17: from Latin ferox fierce, untamable, warlike

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

ferocious

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of ferocious

SYNONYMS FOR ferocious

Related forms

Examples from the Web for ferociousness

British Dictionary definitions for ferociousness

ferocious

adjective

Derived Forms

Word Origin for ferocious