Synonyms for ferocious
fəˈroʊ ʃəsfe·ro·cious

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:3.3 / 3 votes

1. ferociousadjective

   Synonyms:
   fierce

2. ferociousadjective

   Marked by extreme and violent energy.

   Synonyms:
   fierce

3. ferociousadjective

   Extreme or intense.

   Synonyms:
   fierce

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. ferocious

   Fierce signifies having a furious and cruel nature, or being in a furious and cruel mood, more commonly the latter. It applies to that which is now intensely excited, or liable to intense and sudden excitement. Ferocious refers to a state or disposition; that which is fierce flashes or blazes; that which is ferocious steadily burns; we speak of a ferocious animal, a fierce passion. A fiery spirit with a good disposition is quickly excitable in a good cause, but may not be fierce or ferocious. Savage signifies untrained, uncultivated. Ferocious always denotes a tendency to violence; it is more distinctly bloodthirsty than the other words; a person may be deeply, intensely cruel, and not at all ferocious; a ferocious countenance expresses habitual ferocity; a fierce countenance may express habitual fierceness, or only the sudden anger of the moment. That which is wild is simply unrestrained; the word may imply no anger or harshness; as, wild delight, wild alarm.

   Synonyms:
   fierce, fiery, furious, impetuous, raging, savage, uncultivated, untrained, violent, wild

   Antonyms:
   affectionate, docile, gentle, harmless, kind, mild, patient, peaceful, submissive, sweet, tame, tender

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:2.0 / 4 votes

1. ferocious, fierce, furious, savageadjective

   marked by extreme and violent energy

   "a ferocious beating"; "fierce fighting"; "a furious battle"

   Synonyms:
   angered, rough, trigger-happy, uncivilized, savage, barbarous, angry, cutthroat, infuriated, tempestuous, furious, raging, violent, fell, fierce, barbaric, feral, cruel, enraged, vehement, maddened, roughshod, tearing, boisterous, barbarian, uncivilised, bowelless, vicious, brutal, ferine, wild

   Antonyms:
   nonviolent

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. ferociousadjective

   Synonyms:
   untamed (like a wild beast), savage, fierce, wild, ravenous, rapacious, ferine

2. ferociousadjective

   Synonyms:
   barbarous, cruel, inhuman, brutal, fell, ruthless, relentless, merciless, pitiless, sanguinary, bloody, vandalic

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. ferociousadjective

   Synonyms:
   rapacious, ravenous, truculent, fell, savage

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "ferocious":

   fierce, brutal, savage, vicious

How to pronounce ferocious?

How to say ferocious in sign language?

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use ferocious in a sentence?

1. Ryan Mauro:

   The new Nigerian president will have to fight Boko Haram because the group cannot be dealt with any other way, boko Haram has even alienated fellow Islamists who believe in Sharia governance. That doesn't mean that these Islamists opposed to Boko Haram are moderates; just that they are less ferocious than Boko Haram.

2. Lindsay Graham:

   I think he values the fact I've been there a lot, that I was a pretty ferocious critic of Obama, and that the things that I predicted about Iraq came true.

3. Mahmoud Abbas:

   Today is one of the most ferocious days our people have seen, before we were suffering from illegal Israeli settlements. Now it's another illegal settlement by the Israel and the United States.

4. Michael Kugelman:

   These high turnover issues increase the possibility that when U.S.-led forces leave Afghanistan for good, whenever that is, they will be leaving Afghan forces unable to fend off a still-ferocious insurgency.

5. Tracy Burgess:

   Once we got the pouch open, a tiny little hand came out with claws on it, so, yeah, there's a pinkie - very little baby unfurred possum, so she's a ferocious mother who has clearly done her best for her bub.