fierceness

American  

[feers-nis] / ˈfɪərs nɪs /

noun

1. 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.

2. violent force, intensity, etc..

   Already the sudden storm is passing, and its fierceness is abating.

3. furious eagerness or intensity of emotion, etc..

   As I read her novel my heart was moved by the fierceness of her love for humanity.

4. 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.

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Other Word Forms

• overfierceness noun

Etymology

Origin of fierceness

First recorded in 1350–1400; fierce ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

The extraordinary Gallo, who also wrote the screenplay, brings a blend of fierceness and fragility to a role that explores expectations of masculinity in Latino families.

From Los Angeles Times

“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

It is a fierceness that surfaces most prominently when the conversation turns to the business of music, her family’s legacy and her recent marriage to young Mexican singer-songwriter Christian Nodal.

From Los Angeles Times

But I and millions of Americans do remember them for fierceness in their respective battlegrounds, a steeliness any sailor should aspire to.

From Los Angeles Times

“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

Related Words

• wildness