FEROCIOUS Synonyms: 219 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'ferocious' different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of ferocious are barbarous , cruel , fierce , and savage . While all these words mean "showing fury or malignity in looks or actions," ferocious implies extreme fierceness and unrestrained violence and brutality. // a ferocious dog

Q: When is 'barbarous' a more appropriate choice than 'ferocious'?

Although the words barbarous and ferocious have much in common, barbarous implies a ferocity or mercilessness regarded as unworthy of civilized people. // barbarous treatment of prisoners

Q: When can 'cruel' be used instead of 'ferocious'?

While the synonyms cruel and ferocious are close in meaning, cruel implies indifference to suffering and even positive pleasure in inflicting it. // the cruel jokes of schoolboys

Q: Where would 'fierce' be a reasonable alternative to 'ferocious'?

The meanings of fierce and ferocious largely overlap; however, fierce applies to humans and animals that inspire terror because of their wild and menacing aspect or fury in attack. // fierce warriors

Q: When would 'savage' be a good substitute for 'ferocious'?

In some situations, the words savage and ferocious are roughly equivalent. However, savage implies the absence of inhibitions restraining civilized people filled with rage, lust, or other violent passion. // a savage criminal

ferocious

adjective

fə-ˈrō-shəs

Definition of ferocious

as in intense

extreme in degree, power, or effect the ferocious appetite that athletic teenagers have been known to display

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in fierce

marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity ferocious forest fires threatened to destroy hundreds of homes in the scrubland

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in savage

violently unfriendly or aggressive in disposition the animal is known as a ferocious predator

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in frantic

marked by great and often stressful excitement or activity after a day of ferocious up-and-down trading, the stock market ended up down 300 points

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of ferocious are barbarous, cruel, fierce, and savage. While all these words mean "showing fury or malignity in looks or actions," ferocious implies extreme fierceness and unrestrained violence and brutality.

a ferocious dog

When is barbarous a more appropriate choice than ferocious?

Although the words barbarous and ferocious have much in common, barbarous implies a ferocity or mercilessness regarded as unworthy of civilized people.

barbarous treatment of prisoners

When can cruel be used instead of ferocious?

While the synonyms cruel and ferocious are close in meaning, cruel implies indifference to suffering and even positive pleasure in inflicting it.

the cruel jokes of schoolboys

Where would fierce be a reasonable alternative to ferocious?

The meanings of fierce and ferocious largely overlap; however, fierce applies to humans and animals that inspire terror because of their wild and menacing aspect or fury in attack.

fierce warriors

When would savage be a good substitute for ferocious?

In some situations, the words savage and ferocious are roughly equivalent. However, 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 ferocious There have been heavy rainfalls since, but because its location is so near to the equator, where ferocious winds can’t properly spin, the lush land has been spared from the worst. — Demarco Williams, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 What Babcock looks for Hyman is one of the most ferocious forecheckers in the game, proving to be a perfect fit for Babcock. — Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026 Other adorably ferocious toys include the My Melody bunny in a Mothra winged costume and Badtz-Maru wearing a Rodan dinosaur-esque outfit. — Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026 Well, thanks to a video making the rounds of Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins doing some poop-scooping, the lines have been drawn for a ferocious online debate. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ferocious

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ferocious

Adjective

Utilities have raised rates to pay for wildfire prevention and recovery as climate change has made the blazes more intense and frequent.

— Sophie Austin, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
Electrolyte beverages can help replenish hydration after an intense workout or stomach bug.

— Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of intense

Adjective

Casemiro and Messi, fierce rivals when Casemiro was at Real Madrid and Messi at Barcelona, celebrated together, a rare sight for longtime La Liga fans.

— Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 30 Aug. 2026
Pearce was celebrating five years of Opry membership and would return later to channel many aspects of Dolly, from her humor and fierce independence to her Appalachian roots.

— Chris Parton, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of fierce

Adjective

Cole, who has to maneuver his way around 20 savage crew members, each of whom will need to be killed, doesn’t waste a homicidal movement.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
The savage battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa had already demonstrated the ferocity with which Japanese forces would defend their homeland.

— James M. Scott, Time, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of savage

Adjective

By the twentieth century, intensive farming practices had left the South dangerously vulnerable to erosion, producing depleted swaths of land where kudzu would later flourish.

— The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 Aug. 2026
The next day, Alex Pretti, an intensive-care nurse and a lifelong Catholic, was shot and killed by federal agents.

— Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of intensive

Adjective

Their arrival comes during a violent week in Haiti; at least 47 people were killed and more than 50 others kidnapped, according to Haitian officials.

— Nathan Lee, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
Karilyn Orr, an internal safety and prevention specialist in the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, and Nick Jakubisin, a special agent in the Illinois State Police’s violent crimes unit, joined Hills in the presentation.

— Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of violent

Adjective

Detectives charged him with murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon for the vicious attack that killed his mother, 57-year-old Josefa Soto de Guzman, on Friday.

— Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 26 Aug. 2026
Pace, skill, a vicious shot, the ability to make opposition defenders look like fools.

— James Horncastle, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of vicious

Adjective

Kavanagh was furious and repeatedly made her concerns clear to her superiors at Sky.

— Jake Kanter, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2026
Mother Love Bone had experienced the kind of instant success that made other local bands furious, signing a record deal after playing fewer than 10 shows.

— Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of furious

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ferments

ferocious

ferociousness

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“Ferocious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ferocious. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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