fierce
Americanadjective
-
menacingly wild, savage, or hostile.
fierce animals;
a fierce look.
-
violent in force, intensity, etc..
fierce winds.
- Synonyms:
- passionate, furious, turbulent
-
furiously eager or intense.
fierce competition.
- Synonyms:
- turbulent, passionate, furious
-
extremely bad or severe.
a fierce cold.
adjective
-
having a violent and unrestrained nature; savage
a fierce dog
-
wild or turbulent in force, action, or intensity
a fierce storm
-
vehement, intense, or strong
fierce competition
-
informal very disagreeable or unpleasant
Related Words
Fierce, ferocious, truculent suggest vehemence and violence of temper, manner, or action: fierce in repelling a foe. Ferocious implies fierceness or cruelty, especially of a bloodthirsty kind, in disposition or action: a ferocious glare; ferocious brutality toward helpless refugees. Truculent suggests an intimidating or bullying fierceness of manner or conduct: His truculent attitude kept them terrified and submissive.
Other Word Forms
- fiercely adverb
- fierceness noun
- overfierce adjective
- unfierce adjective
Etymology
Origin of fierce
First recorded in 1300–1350; from Middle English fiers, fers, from Old French fiers, fers, from Latin ferus “wild, fierce”; feral 1, ferocious
Explanation
Fierce is ferocious and forceful, like a lion. When you are fierce, opponents fear you. Despite their loss, the talented JV team put up a fierce fight against the varsity squad. Fierce comes from the Latin ferus 'wild animal.' It means strong, proud, dangerous and ready to roar. Fierce can also be used to mean intense. The family was known for their fierce pride. If you have a fierce work ethic, you don't rest until you finish the job. And a fierce storm can really devastate a community.
Vocabulary lists containing fierce
Beowulf vocabulary
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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
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Excerpt from "Flipped"
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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.
Micron makes memory, which is in fierce demand for AI data centers, leading to shortages and soaring prices.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
The campaign faced some fierce detractors within Zanu-PF, but its main critic - Blessed Geza, also known as "Bombshell" - died earlier this year.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
The species name ferox means "fierce," and its behavior lives up to that description.
From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026
After successful races, there’s fierce competition for staff positions.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
I started to think that I would have to do something drastic soon, because I couldn’t stand there looking fierce and breathing heavy forever.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
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.
