furious
Americanadjective
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full of fury, violent passion, or rage; extremely angry; enraged.
He was furious about the accident.
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intensely violent, as wind or storms.
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of unrestrained energy, speed, etc..
furious activity.
adjective
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extremely angry or annoyed; raging
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violent, wild, or unrestrained, as in speed, vigour, energy, etc
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of furious
First recorded in 1300–50; a Middle English word from the Latin word furiōsus; see fury, -ous
Explanation
If you've ever been so angry you'd swear you felt your blood boiling, you could reasonably say that you were furious. The word basically means "full of fury," so you get the picture. Think about the angriest you've ever been. Now double it and you might be getting close to furious, from the Latin furiōsus, meaning "full of rage," which in turn comes from furia, "fury." Greek and Roman mythology had the Furies, who dispensed justice by harshly punishing criminals, sometimes driving them mad. They were merciless, fearsome, and feared, with snakes for hair and bloody eyes. When not on earth, they were tormenting the damned in Hell. Now, that's furious!
Vocabulary lists containing furious
In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Because of Winn-Dixie
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Mad Infinitum: Synonyms for "Angry"
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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.
The move prompted a furious reaction from the Peruvian government and triggered a diplomatic tit-for-tat, which included Peru's Congress voting to declare Sheinbaum persona non grata.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
Perhaps as a result, moves in the U.S. market over the past few days have been coming fast and furious.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
Another dizzying market move came in the wake of Fed chairman Kevin Warsh’s second postmeeting press conference on Wednesday, which sparked furious selling in stocks and bonds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Right-leaning Americans who had never been particularly civically engaged found themselves at city hall meetings or out in protests, furious about business closures and stay-at-home orders.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
A dog set up a furious din and ran at us, stopping short a couple of feet away and barking as though to waken the dead.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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.
