something fierce
7
8.6
- idiom
- Informal
- All I can think is that these sweet girls are building something amazing and are going to be missing each other something fierce!
- miss you something fierce
Examples
-
Oh, my God, it is chafing something fierce.
-
Aye, Jack, the world needs you back something fierce.
-
You are going to lose something fierce.
-
You need me something fierce.
-
I'm feeling the cold something fierce tonight.
-
However, they are screwing that up something fierce.
Blog text (34) -
The water was splashing something fierce against the base of the cliff.
Fiction book (2001) -
I've been missing my woods something fierce here lately.
Blog text (32) -
Seeing him here, though, I suddenly feel more like I've been gone from home three years instead of three weeks, and I miss my people something fierce.
Fiction book (1994) -
I'm feeling the cold something fierce tonight.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To a very great degree
595
1.0
In a very forceful or certain way
243
3.6
Completely, to show that something is very strong or very great
222
4.1
In a very bad or serious way
94
2.7
To a very great degree
87
3.1
In a very strong or focused way
68
3.7
In a very strong way that shows energy or anger
68
3.4
In a strong, energetic way showing a lot of effort
61
2.8
In a way that shows very strong feelings and great excitement
54
4.6
To a very great degree
38
7.4
To speak or act with strong feeling and force
21
6.7
In a very violent and cruel way
21
4.8
In very large amounts, often more than needed
19
5.5
Very strongly felt or noticed
17
5.4
In a way that shows strong belief or feeling
17
6.7
Very strongly and with a lot of energy
16
3.0
In a very angry and energetic way
15
8.0
To a very great degree
11
5.6
In a very strong and angry way
6
4.9
In a way that shows strong feeling and great enthusiasm
4
7.3
Showing very strong, often angry feelings that seem unreasonable
3
7.4
To do something with great energy and effort
2
5.1
In a way that shows strong feelings, often anger
1
9.2
To do something very quickly or with great effort
1
7.2
In a way that feels very painful or shocking
1
8.4
To a very great degree
1
7.0
In a very strong, angry, or violent way
Antonyms
How Intense
Surface Forms
Morphology
The adjective 'fierce' clearly conveys high intensity, so a learner can guess the phrase relates to strength or intensity; however 'something' normally means 'somewhat' or 'rather', and its use here as a colloquial intensifier meaning 'very' is not a straightforward compositional pattern. Because the intensifying effect is partly predictable from 'fierce' but relies on a non‑literal, idiomatic use of 'something', this is best described as semi‑transparent for a B1 learner.
Etymology
Something fierce comes from people putting something before fierce to make a strong picture, like a really wild storm or a fierce hunger. That's why the phrase is used to mean 'to a very great degree' or simply 'very' when you want to show strong feeling.