fierceness
Americannoun
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a menacingly wild, savage, or hostile quality or character.
In spite of the fierceness of the enemy barrage, the line was made secure.
After many threats, he rushed at me with the fierceness of a wolf.
-
violent force, intensity, etc..
Already the sudden storm is passing, and its fierceness is abating.
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furious eagerness or intensity of emotion, etc..
As I read her novel my heart was moved by the fierceness of her love for humanity.
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the quality of being extremely bad or severe.
Only by the fifth day, when the fierceness of the headache started to decrease, was she able to move normally again.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fierceness
First recorded in 1350–1400; fierce ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )
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.
“Just seeing he’s all smiles, whatever, hanging out, and then when it’s time to go you just see the fierceness in his eyes,” Turner said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
Chemaf’s founder, Shiraz Virji, son of a Zanzibar spice merchant, once hired dozens of Gurkhas, Nepalese soldiers with a reputation for fierceness, to guard one of the company’s mines against incursions by informal miners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
“The fierceness and price and cost demands of China’s markets make the winners emerging from here far more globally fit than most any other country’s environment will produce.”
From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2025
“He mentioned that he liked the idea of Sinatra having a real humanity to her,” says Nicholson, who in flashbacks is soft and in the story’s present all brittle, escalating fierceness.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2025
Already the sudden storm is passing, and its fierceness is abating; crowds are scattering homeward, and the sky is beginning to redden over the Yorkshire wolds.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
