Fierce — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Fierce (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. violently unfriendly or aggressive in disposition

   "the Vikings had a well-earned reputation for being fierce warriors"

   similar: fell, ferocious, grim, savage, vicious
   related: argumentative, assaultive, bellicose, belligerent, brawly, chippy, combative, confrontational, discordant, disputatious, feisty, gladiatorial, militant, pugnacious, scrappy, warlike, bare-knuckle, blood-and-guts, in-your-face, take-no-prisoners, contentious, quarrelsome, truculent, menacing, threatening, bestial, brute, inhuman, inhumane, barbaric, uncivilized, wild, heartless, implacable, merciless, pitiless, relentless, ruthless, unrelenting, wanton, bloodthirsty, bloody, homicidal, murdering, murderous, sanguinary, sanguine, rapacious, ravenous, voracious
   opposite: gentle, mild, unaggressive
   near: amicable, companionable, comradely, congenial, cordial, friendly, genial, hearty, warm, warmhearted, compliant, submissive, tame, benign, compassionate, kind, merciful, pacific, peaceable, peaceful, amiable, complaisant, obliging, human, humane, civilized, cultured

2. extreme in degree, power, or effect

   "a fierce wind made the frigid temperatures seem even worse"

   similar: acute, almighty, blistering, deep, dreadful, excruciating, explosive, exquisite, fearful, fearsome, ferocious, frightful, furious, ghastly, hard, heavy, heavy-duty, hellacious, intense, intensive, keen, profound, terrible, vehement, vicious, violent
   related: accentuated, aggravated, concentrated, deepened, emphasized, enhanced, heightened, intensified, magnified, stressed, exhaustive, thorough, harsh, rigorous, severe
   opposite: light, moderate, soft
   near: feeble, weak, shallow, superficial, moderated, qualified, alleviated, eased, lightened, toned (down), abated, decreased, diminished, lessened, reduced, subdued

3. harsh and threatening in manner or appearance

   "the fierce faces of the players on the opposing hockey team"

   similar: austere, dour, flinty, forbidding, grim, gruff, intimidating, lowering, rough, rugged, severe, stark, steely, stern, ungentle
   related: bleak, cold, hostile, inhospitable, inimical, unfriendly, unsympathetic, adamant, bound, determined, firm, intent, purposeful, resolute, resolved, steadfast, unflinching, fixed, hard, hardened, hardheaded, immovable, implacable, inflexible, ironhanded, mulish, obdurate, obstinate, rigid, self-willed, set, stiff, stubborn, unbending, uncompromising, unrelenting, unyielding, willful, immutable, unchangeable, black, cheerless, dark, gloomy, glum, joyless, melancholic, moody, morose, sulky, sullen, surly, brooding, grave, humorless, melancholy, serious, sober, sobersided, solemn, somber, staid, unsmiling, weighty
   opposite: benign, benignant, gentle, mild, nonintimidating, tender
   near: bland, meek, mellow, soft, soothing, easy, quiet, tranquil, agreeable, bright, cheerful, inviting, pleasant, pleasing, sweet, glad, happy, lighthearted, merry, mirthful, sunny, featherbrained, flighty, frivolous, giddy, goofy, harebrained, light-headed, playful, scatterbrained, silly

4. having or showing a bold forcefulness in the pursuit of a goal

   "a social reformer of fierce and fearless determination"

   similar: aggressive, ambitious, assertive, enterprising, go-getting, high-pressure, in-your-face, militant, pushy, self-asserting, self-assertive
   related: argumentative, bellicose, belligerent, combative, contentious, discordant, disputatious, gladiatorial, pugnacious, quarrelsome, trigger-happy, truculent, warlike, hyperaggressive, overambitious, dynamic, energetic, gung ho, hustling, strenuous, vigorous, emphatic, obtrusive, adventuresome, adventurous, daring, dashing, emboldened, gutsy, venturesome, venturous, audacious, bold, brash, brassy, bumptious, cheeky, cocksure, cocky, confident, determined, forward, impudent, insolent, overconfident, presumptuous, unapologetic, unsubdued, unyielding, bare-knuckle, feisty, scrappy, dominating, domineering, imperious, lordly, magisterial, overbearing
   opposite: ambitionless, low-pressure, nonassertive, unaggressive, unambitious, unassertive, unenterprising
   near: easygoing, laid-back, relaxed, acquiescent, amenable, compliant, deferential, docile, resigned, submissive, tractable, yielding, cowering, cringing, groveling, shrinking, bashful, demure, diffident, humble, lowly, meek, mild, modest, mousy, overmodest, passive, quiet, reserved, retiring, shy, subdued, timid, unobtrusive, obsequious, servile, slavish, subservient

5. marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity

   "fierce fighting raged in the streets of the war-torn city"

   similar: bang-bang, blood-and-guts, convulsive, cyclonic, explosive, ferocious, furious, hammer-and-tongs, hot, knock-down, drag-out, paroxysmal, rabid, rough, stormy, tempestuous, tumultuous, turbulent, violent, volcanic
   related: barbarous, brutal, savage, vicious, antagonistic, hostile, aggressive, assertive, bellicose, belligerent, combative, contentious, gladiatorial, pugnacious, quarrelsome, truculent, combustible, volatile, agitated, frantic, frenzied, mad, cataclysmal, destructive, ruinous
   opposite: nonviolent, peaceable, peaceful
   near: calm, halcyon, pacific, serene, tranquil, nonbelligerent, unaggressive

6. marked by great and often stressful excitement or activity

   "fierce early-morning trading sent stocks soaring"

   similar: delirious, ferocious, feverish, frantic, frenetic, frenzied, furious, mad, rabid, violent, wild
   related: concentrated, high-pressured, intense, intensive, vehement, excessive, exorbitant, extravagant, extreme, immoderate, inordinate, lavish, overmuch, overweening, unconscionable, undue, crazed (sometimes offensive), crazy (usually offensive), demented, deranged (often offensive), insane, irrational, maniacal
   opposite: relaxed
   near: calm, peaceful, placid, quiet, serene, subdued, tranquil, undisturbed, unperturbed, untroubled, moderate, reasonable, temperate, casual, easygoing, low-pressure, balanced, sane, sound