fiercely
advUS /ˈfɪɹsli/ · UK /ˈfɪəsli/
Etymology From Middle English fersly; equivalent to fierce + -ly.
1
In a fierce manner.
- The wind blew fiercely and the rain fell heavily.
- They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too.1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:
2 more examples
- He helped himself to a cigar and leaned back with a fiercely critical pair of eyes, taking note of the effect which this document would produce.1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:
- Russia said at the weekend that its forces had recaptured Kursk, the border region where Ukraine launched a surprise offensive last year, though Kyiv insists its troops are fiercely battling to preserve their foothold in the territory.2025 April 28, Helen Regan, Michael Rios, Darya Tarasova, Tim Lister, “Putin thanks North Korea for help in Kursk, as Germany criticizes US plan for Ukrainian concessions”, in CNN, archived from the original on 14 Aug 2025:
2
Extremely; to a large degree.
- fiercely competitive
- a fiercely loved woman
4 more examples
- a fiercely proud father
- fiercely disappointed
- fiercely loyal
- fiercely independent