fe ‧ ro ‧ cious /fəˈrəʊʃəs $ -ˈroʊ-/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: ferox 'wild-looking' , from ferus 'wild' ]
1 . violent, dangerous, and frightening SYN fierce :
a ferocious, hungry lion
a ferocious battle
The storm grew more and more ferocious with each second.
2 . very strong, severe, and unpleasant SYN fierce :
The congressman is one of the President’s most ferocious critics.
The heat was ferocious.
He is famous for his ferocious temper.
3 . relating to an emotion that is felt very strongly SYN fierce :
Parker was driven by a ferocious determination to succeed.
—ferociously adverb
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THESAURUS
▪ violent /ˈvaɪələnt/ using force to hurt or kill people – used about people, crimes etc. Also used about films or books that contain a lot of violence:
a violent man who couldn’t control his temper
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the increase in violent crime
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The film is too violent to be shown to children.
▪ vicious /ˈvɪʃəs/ violent and dangerous, and seeming to enjoy hurting people for no reason:
a vicious attack on an unarmed man
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We were surrounded by a gang of vicious thugs, armed with knives.
▪ rough /rʌf/ using force or violence, but not causing serious injury:
Some of the boys were being a bit rough with the younger kids.
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There were complaints about rough treatment by the police.
▪ brutal /ˈbruːtl/ behaving in a way that is very cruel and violent, and showing no pity:
Idi Amin was a brutal dictator.
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a particularly brutal murder
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The prison guards were brutal and corrupt.
▪ savage /ˈsævɪdʒ/ attacking people in a particularly cruel way – used about people and fighting, especially in news reports:
a savage killer
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There was savage fighting in the capital Mogadishu.
▪ bloody a bloody battle or war is very violent and a lot of people are killed or injured:
a bloody civil war
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The Russians were engaged in a bloody battle against the German army.
▪ ferocious /fəˈrəʊʃəs/ a ferocious attack or battle is extremely violent. Also used about animals that are likley to attack in a very violent way:
The two armies fought a ferocious battle.
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a ferocious beast
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It was the most ferocious attack I have ever seen.
▪ fierce a fierce animal or person looks frightening and likely to attack people:
A fierce dog stood growling at the gate.
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Bears are always fierce when they have young.
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fierce bodyguards
▪ bloodthirsty a bloodthirsty person enjoys watching violence. A bloodthirsty story contains a lot of violent scenes:
In Mexico, humans were sacrificed to bloodthirsty gods.
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a bloodthirsty tale of revenge
▪ gory showing or describing injuries, blood, death etc clearly and in detail:
a gory horror movie
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The book was too gory for many readers.