fierce

adjective

ˈfirs How to pronounce fierce (audio)
Definition of fiercenext
Enter your own sentence containing fierce , and get words to replace it.
loading
1
as in ferocious
violently unfriendly or aggressive in disposition the Vikings had a well-earned reputation for being fierce warriors

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect a fierce wind made the frigid temperatures seem even worse

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in gruff
harsh and threatening in manner or appearance the fierce faces of the players on the opposing hockey team

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in aggressive
having or showing a bold forcefulness in the pursuit of a goal a social reformer of fierce and fearless determination

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in violent
marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity fierce fighting raged in the streets of the war-torn city

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in frantic
marked by great and often stressful excitement or activity fierce early-morning trading sent stocks soaring

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word fierce different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of fierce are barbarous, cruel, ferocious, and savage. While all these words mean "showing fury or malignity in looks or actions," fierce applies to humans and animals that inspire terror because of their wild and menacing aspect or fury in attack.

fierce warriors

Where would barbarous be a reasonable alternative to fierce?

While in some cases nearly identical to fierce, barbarous implies a ferocity or mercilessness regarded as unworthy of civilized people.

barbarous treatment of prisoners

When is it sensible to use cruel instead of fierce?

The meanings of cruel and fierce largely overlap; however, cruel implies indifference to suffering and even positive pleasure in inflicting it.

the cruel jokes of schoolboys

When would ferocious be a good substitute for fierce?

The synonyms ferocious and fierce are sometimes interchangeable, but ferocious implies extreme fierceness and unrestrained violence and brutality.

a ferocious dog

When can savage be used instead of fierce?

Although the words savage and fierce have much in common, savage implies the absence of inhibitions restraining civilized people filled with rage, lust, or other violent passion.

a savage criminal

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fierce The bill has been met with both fierce opposition and staunch support from students, professors and community members across the state. — Amanda McCard, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2025 With Zverev looking to cement his dominance, Alcaraz aiming for a repeat title, and Fritz eager to defend home soil, the competition will be fierce from day one. — Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025 Listen to this article President Trump Thursday delayed plans to order the elimination of the federal Department of Education, a move that would likely face fierce opposition from Congress and in the courts. — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2025 The auction proceeded despite fierce opposition from thousands of artists, who have argued AI models of exploiting human creativity without consent. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fierce
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fierce
  1. ferocious
  2. intense
  3. gruff
  4. aggressive
  5. violent
  6. frantic
  7. savage
  8. intensive
Adjective
  • After a ferocious campaign from fans, Disney+ brought the series back—initially a Netflix original from 2015 to 2018.
    — H. Alan Scott, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2025
  • But a mysterious force is stopping their return and the time-traveling TARDIS team must face great dangers, ferocious enemies and wilder terrors than ever before.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 2 Mar. 2025
Definition of ferocious
Adjective
  • Already, court challenges against the president’s latest moves are emerging, and intense mainstream media coverage has, of course, cast what he’s done in a highly negative light.
    — The Editors, National Review, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Especially in the earliest stages, when the grind will be intense. Hammond: The honeymoon period is nearly over.
    — Sean Hammond, Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025
Definition of intense
Adjective
  • In The Empire’s frame, residents of a coastal village in northern France — gruff, virile fisherman Jony (Brandon Vlieghe) and teenage tease Line (Lyna Khoudri) — reveal their oddball allegiance to extraterrestrial invaders.
    — Armond White, National Review, 14 Mar. 2025
  • There’s a gruff and garrulous baseball pitching and hitting machine called Pop Fly (Brian Cox).
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of gruff
Adjective
  • As Forbes previously reported, Flock has an aggressive expansion strategy, which has sometimes led it to risking breaches of the law.
    — Thomas Brewster, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Davis is an aggressive man corner that is capable of shutting down receivers one-on-one.
    — Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of aggressive
Adjective
  • The Indiana Crime Guns Task Force was signed into law in 2021 and addresses violent crime in Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion, Morgan, Johnson and Shelby counties, according to the Indiana General Assembly’s website.
    — Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2025
  • The storm, which produced violent tornadoes, raging wildfires, and blinding dust storms, decimated homes, toppled vehicles, and left entire communities reeling from the devastation.
    — Mark Davis, Newsweek, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of violent
Adjective
  • That raised questions about Silicon Valley’s frantic spending.
    — Cade Metz, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2025
  • Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin stopped three shots during a pair of frantic pileups in the crease before New York won a faceoff and Simon Holmstrom scored an empty netter from his own end with 6.3 seconds left.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of frantic
Adjective
  • As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.
    — Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 27 Dec. 2022
  • The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2022
Definition of savage
Adjective
  • Finding and synthesizing that data would be both labor intensive and expensive for the district to do itself.
    — Jennah Pendleton, Sacramento Bee, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Our only leverage were the ongoing national-level intensive negotiations over the NAFTA environmental side-accords.
    — Serge Dedina, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of intensive

Browse Nearby Words

fierce
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fierce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fierce. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on fierce

Nglish: Translation of fierce for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All