fierce
advEtymology From Middle English fers, fiers, borrowed from Old French fers (“wild", "ferocious”), nominative of fer, from Latin ferus (“wild", "untamed”).
fierce
adjAU, UK /fɪəs/ · UK /fɪːs/
Etymology From Middle English fers, fiers, borrowed from Old French fers (“wild", "ferocious”), nominative of fer, from Latin ferus (“wild", "untamed”).
1
Exceedingly violent, severe, ferocious, cruel or savage.
- A fierce storm battered the coast.
- Their fights with other members of their own kind were always preceded by loud and fierce waulings or savage snarling and snapping of teeth […]2006, Kenneth Conibear, Northland Footprints:
1 more example
- One constituent spent an hour educating me on the history of pit bulls: the Molossians, the Mastiffs; the Greeks, Romans, Brits, Tibetans, and Germans; the crossbreeds. A common theme ran throughout their history: they were the fiercest of fighters, and eventually bred to fight—in wars during antiquity, in dog fights for centuries. Regardless, they were again and again attacking other dogs and people.2012, Michael Bryant, 28 Seconds: A True Story of Addiction, Tragedy, and Hope, Viking:
2
Resolute or strenuously active.
- We made a fierce attempt to escape.
- I feel a fierce loyalty to my kin.
2 more examples
- Yet his passion for her had grown fiercer than ever, and he swore to himself that he would win her back from her phantasies. She, one may believe, was ready enough to listen.1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
- Trump’s fiercest advocates have launched their Samson option: If he can’t keep power, they’ll bring down the party with him by calling for a boycott of the election.2020 December 29, Frida Ghitis, “Trump has set Republicans up to fail in Georgia”, in CNN, archived from the original on 03 Oct 2022:
3
Threatening in appearance or demeanor.
- The lion gave a fierce roar.
- Tyra said to strike a pose and make it fierce.
- Derived terms
- fiercely, fiercen, fierceness, fierce snake, fiercesome, fiercity, overfierce, something fierce, unfierce