fierce B2 Topic:Describing Qualities US /fɪɹs/ UK /fɪəs/ See IPA manual Freq #6520 Meanings 1 adj Very strong, violent, or intense. A fierce storm battered the coast all night. 2 adj Frightening or aggressive in appearance or behaviour. The lion gave a fierce roar. 3 adj Very determined and competitive. There is fierce competition for the top jobs. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · very strong, violent, or... ferociousfuriousragingsavage 3 adj · very determined and... cutthroat Word family Forms fiercerfiercest Derived forms fiercelyfiercenfiercenessfiercesomefiercityoverfierceunfierce Related forms feralferityferocious Appears in Phrases (2) See all fierce attack an attack carried out with great intensity and aggression Adjective + noun fierce contention intense competition between people or groups seeking the same result Adjective + noun Etymology AI details From Middle English fers, fiers, borrowed from Old French fers (“wild", "ferocious”), nominative of fer, from Latin ferus (“wild", "untamed”). fers Old English ferus Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # fierce **Type:** Word **Level:** B2 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /fɪɹs/ **IPA (UK):** /fɪəs/ **Frequency rank:** 6520 ## Meanings 1. Very strong, violent, or intense. 2. Frightening or aggressive in appearance or behaviour. 3. Very determined and competitive. ## Examples - A fierce storm battered the coast all night. - The lion gave a fierce roar. - There is fierce competition for the top jobs. ## Derived Forms - fiercely - fiercen - fierceness - fiercesome - fiercity - overfierce - unfierce ## Related Forms - feral - ferity - ferocious ## Roots and Affixes - Root: fers - Root: ferus ## Etymology From Middle English fers, fiers, borrowed from Old French fers (“wild", "ferocious”), nominative of fer, from Latin ferus (“wild", "untamed”). ## AI Etymology Fierce comes from Middle English fers, fiers, borrowed from Old French fers (“wild", "ferocious”), nominative of fer, from Latin ferus (“wild", "untamed”). In current use, the main senses are “Very strong, violent, or intense” and “Frightening or aggressive in appearance or behaviour”. ## Topics - Describing Qualities markdown