ferocious

UK: /fəˈrəʊʃəs/ US: /fəˈroʊʃəs/ ,(fə rō′shəs)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

fe•ro•cious /fəˈroʊʃəs/   adj. 

1. savagely fierce or cruel; violently harsh;
   brutal:
   ferocious animals.
2. extreme or intense:
   a ferocious thirst.

fe•ro•cious•ly, adv. 
fe•ro•cious•ness, fe•roc•i•ty /fəˈrɑsɪti/  n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

fe•ro•cious  (fə rō′shəs), adj. 

1. savagely fierce, as a wild beast, person, action, or aspect;
   violently cruel:
   a ferocious beating.
2. extreme or intense:
   a ferocious thirst.

• Latin ferōc-, stem of ferōx savage, fierce (fer(us) wild (see feral¹, fierce) + -ōx having such an appearance; akin to -opsis) + -ious
• 1640–50

fe•ro′cious•ly, adv. 
fe•ro′cious•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. rapacious. See fierce. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

ferocious / fəˈrəʊʃəs/ adjective

1. savagely fierce or cruel: a ferocious tiger, a ferocious argument

Etymology: 17th Century: from Latin ferox fierce, untamable, warlike

ferocity / fəˈrɒsɪtɪ/, feˈrociousness noun