ferocious
64
5.5
- adjective
- /fəˈroʊʃəs/
:
feroz
- He's small, but ferocious.
- a ferocious storm
- ferocious animals
- a ferocious beast
So I'm looking pretty ferocious, ready to go.
- So I'm looking pretty ferocious, ready to go.
- And my migraines would be ferocious when I would have them.
- But as he goes, ferocious beasts keep pushing him back down the mountain.
- So please help me in welcoming the future Hall of Fame driver and ferocious competitor Kurt Busch.
- They're just so ferocious and they're so durable.
- But the energy of that scared little boy is so ferocious, nothing to stop it.
- Just angry and mean and straight up ferocious.
- Any effort to shield him from the public or press would likely be met with ferocious backlash too.
- So I'm in the swimming and people have said your drive's quite ferocious.
- And there are certain types of reptilians, man and they can be ferocious.
Examples
-
Well, I have to warn you: I may be small, but I can be ferocious if provoked.
-
in its own environment, the piranha is a ferocious killer.
-
The attack is so unexpected and ferocious that Sam has no sense of how to defend himself.
Fiction book (1990) -
Ferocious like a storm of lions.
-
But most bats are ferocious insect predators.
-
We know from fossil records that our planet was once ruled by giant, ferocious reptiles.
-
With the picture window broken, a ferocious draft roars through the penthouse office.
Fiction book (1994) -
There are no man-eating kangaroos or ferocious animals in Australia, so you will be safe in the bush.
Academic text (2002) -
Last night when we arrived, Shanghai had just been cooled by a ferocious thunderstorm.
Fiction book (1996) -
In the wild, the tiger is a ferocious predator known for its strength and speed.
Synonyms
∞
2.5
Using strong force that causes harm
248
3.6
Determined and energetic in trying to reach goals
238
3.0
Very angry and ready to shout or complain
229
4.8
Very cruel and violent, causing pain or suffering
220
3.0
Showing great power, anger or passion
133
7.0
A person or thing that is very powerful and makes people feel respect and fear
27
4.5
Very fierce and violent and often cruel
1
3.9
Very strong and intense, often violent and out of control
Very violent and likely to destroy things
Antonyms
How Fierce
Surface Forms
Morphology
ferocious = ferocity (semi-transparent) = feroc + ious
The adjective is formed with the familiar suffix '-ious' but the stem 'feroc' is not a standalone English word; learners who know 'ferocity' or the sense 'fierce' will find it guessable, otherwise it may be unclear.
Etymology
The word ferocious comes from the old Latin word ferox, meaning 'wild' or 'fierce'. Think of a wild animal or a violent storm — that strong, dangerous energy is exactly what ferocious means today.