fierce
[feers]
- menacingly wild, savage, or hostile: fierce animals; a fierce look.
- violent in force, intensity, etc.: fierce winds.
- furiously eager or intense: fierce competition.
- Informal. extremely bad or severe: a fierce cold.
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Origin of fierce
Synonyms
See more synonyms for fierce on Thesaurus.com1. untamed; cruel, fell, brutal; barbarous, bloodthirsty, murderous. 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. 2, 3. furious, passionate, turbulent.
Antonyms
1. tame, mild.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for fierceness
Contemporary Examples
The local police have praised the women for fighting back and said their fierceness kept the assaults from moving further.
At Wimbledon a few years back, I was struck again by the fierceness of their presence, both on and off the court.
I loved how I could hear that fierceness in tone in advance of literal understanding.
With time, the fierceness and the collective sweetness that underscored it grew more intelligible.
But to anyone who has lived in Iran in recent years, women's fierceness in the face of authority is not particularly new.
Historical Examples
When a woman loves a fierce man she takes the risk of his fierceness.
VivietteWilliam J. Locke
It was the new Gospel against the old Law, and the fierceness of the struggle rent her.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
Then, the bitterness of Garson's soul was revealed by the fierceness in his voice as he replied.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
She stared at him, struck dumb for the moment by the fierceness of his voice and expression.
The Coryston FamilyMrs. Humphry Ward
But if they were all mildness toward her, they were all fierceness toward one another.
White FangJack London
fierce
- having a violent and unrestrained nature; savagea fierce dog
- wild or turbulent in force, action, or intensitya fierce storm
- vehement, intense, or strongfierce competition
- informal very disagreeable or unpleasant
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Word Origin
C13: from Old French fiers, from Latin ferus
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for fierceness
fierce
adj.
mid-13c., "proud, noble, bold," from Old French fers, nominative form of fer, fier "strong, overwhelming, violent, fierce, wild; proud, mighty, great, impressive" (Modern French fier "proud, haughty"), from Latin ferus "wild, untamed," from PIE root *ghwer- "wild, wild animal" (cf. Greek ther, Old Church Slavonic zveri, Lithuanian zveris "wild beast").
Original English sense of "brave, proud" died out 16c., but caused the word at first to be commonly used as an epithet, which accounts for the rare instance of a French word entering English in the nominative case. Meaning "ferocious, wild, savage" is from c.1300. Related: Fiercely; fierceness.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper