fierce

English

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French fers (“wild", "ferocious”), nominative of fer, from Latin ferus (“wild", "untamed”)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /fɪəs/
• IPA^(key): /fiə(r)s/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)s

Adjective

fierce (comparative fiercer, superlative fiercest)

1. Extremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage.

   A fierce storm battered the coast.

2. Resolute or strenuously active.

   We made a fierce attempt to escape.

3. Threatening in appearance or demeanor.

   The lion gave a fierce roar.

4. (slang, Ireland, rural) very, excellent.

   It was fierce cold.

   Q: "How was the party last night?" A: "Fierce!"

5. (slang, US) Of exceptional quality, exhibiting boldness or chutzpah.

   Tyra said to strike a pose and make it fierce.

Derived terms

• something fierce

Translations

extremely violent, severe, ferocious or savage

• Armenian: վայրագ (vayrag), կատաղի (katałi)
• Bulgarian: жесток (bg) (žestok), свиреп (bg) (svirep)
• Catalan: ferotge
• Danish: voldeligt
• Esperanto: feroca
• Finnish: raivokas, raju (fi), hurja
• French: féroce (fr) m, f
• German: wild (de)
• Ido: feroca (io)
• Italian: feroce (it)
• Jèrriais: féthu
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: دڕنده‌

• Norwegian: voldsom
• Persian: ژیان ، درنده
• Polish: zawzięty (pl) m
• Portuguese: feroz (pt)
• Romanian: feroce (ro), fioros (ro)
• Russian: свирепый (ru) (svirépyj), лютый (ru) (ljútyj), неистовый (ru) (neístovyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: fiadhaich
• Spanish: fiero (es), feroz (es)
• Swedish: våldsam (sv)
• Tagalog: mabangis
• West Frisian: fûl

resolute or strenuously active

• Bulgarian: буен (bg) (buen), яростен (bg) (jarosten)
• Catalan: feroç
• Danish: aktivt
• Finnish: hurja

• Russian: яростный (ru) (járostnyj)
• Spanish: feroz (es)
• Swedish: tapper (sv), viljestark (sv), resolut (sv), aktiv (sv)
• West Frisian: fûl

threatening in appearance or demeanor

• Bulgarian: заплашителен (bg) (zaplašitelen)
• Catalan: ferotge
• Danish: truende
• Finnish: hurja
• German: bedrohlich

• Portuguese: feroz (pt)
• Russian: свирепый (ru) (svirépyj), грозный (ru) (gróznyj)
• Spanish: feroz (es) m, fiero (es) m
• Swedish: hotfull, skrämmande (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Scottish Gaelic: borb, garg, allaidh, allta
• Welsh: chwyrn (cy)

Anagrams

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