1
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
2
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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3
as in savage
violently unfriendly or aggressive in disposition
the animal is known as a ferocious predator
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4
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ferocious
The thunderstorms will become more ferocious and expand by the late evening to pound potentially more than 900 miles of the Mississippi Valley – from Louisiana to Minnesota – into the overnight hours.
—
Mary Gilbert, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
That shift led to the ferocious war in Ukraine and the growing prospect of one over Taiwan.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
The Mavericks looked like a ferocious defensive team in their Feb. 8 win over the Houston Rockets, but Davis’ early exit with a left adductor strain overshadowed an afternoon in which Dallas recorded a franchise-record 18 blocks.
—Christian Clark, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for ferocious
Mary Gilbert, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
That shift led to the ferocious war in Ukraine and the growing prospect of one over Taiwan.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
The Mavericks looked like a ferocious defensive team in their Feb. 8 win over the Houston Rockets, but Davis’ early exit with a left adductor strain overshadowed an afternoon in which Dallas recorded a franchise-record 18 blocks.
—Christian Clark, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for ferocious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ferocious
Adjective
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After the match finished in a 1-1 draw, Ferguson and West Ham’s unused substitutions had an intense running session on the Goodison Park pitch with a backroom staff member.—
Roshane Thomas,
The Athletic,
20 Mar. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Monday night’s fierce winds took it down, damaging the support structures in the process.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Mar. 2025
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The result captures something rarely seen in sports marketing: fierce competitors actively supporting each other’s growth.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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But frantic calls to her husband’s doctor’s office resulted in an appointment 10 days later.—
Sara Belcher,
People.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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The trailer opens with a frantic DiCaprio grabbing a payphone to call into the rebellion using secret codes.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Both regions came under heavy attack during intensive Israeli air strikes.—
Sarah Ferguson,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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After this close encounter with intensive factory farming, the narrator vows to go vegan.—
Bartolomeo Sala,
The Dial,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Moderate Auto Industry Recovery The Miller family’s fortune is founded upon the car dealership industry, and that particular sector experienced particularly violent setbacks in the immediate onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, around the time RSL was previously for sale.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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Fast-talking criminals, boxing matches, violent action sequences, car charases, and notable stars (Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren, and Pierce Brosnan) are all present and accounted for.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This creates a vicious cycle: more applications lead to lower acceptance rates, triggering even more applications from worried students.—
Sarah Hernholm,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
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However, some people develop unhelpful habits and ways of thinking about sleep that create a vicious cycle, said Krieger, who is also director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The Leafs hatched a furious last-minute comeback to force overtime, only to lose 6-5 in a shootout to the Sharks, Toronto’s second such loss to San Jose this month.—
Jonas Siegel,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
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Martin’s work has taken on a furious pace in the past few months amid the Trump administration’s campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion protocols and health, welfare and Medicaid cuts that will fall hard on vulnerable Black Americans.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
28 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ferocious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ferocious. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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