ˈfyu̇rē, ˈfyür-, -ri noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English furie, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, from Latin furia, from furere to be mad, rage + -ia -y — more at dust
1.
a. : violent anger : extreme wrath : rage
heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned — William Congreve
b. : a passionate fit : frenzy
roused his listeners to a fury of compassionate indignation — American Guide Series: New York City
c. : something that appears to be driven by rage : violent turbulence
the first fury of the storm had spent itself — E.A.Poe
d. : the savagery of an animal
taught them how to match their skill against the cunning and fierce fury of the fastest of the ocean denizens — T.C.Roughley
2.
[Middle English furie, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin Furiae, from plural of furia ]
a. usually capitalized : an avenging deity of ancient Greece and Rome
b. : an avenging or infernal spirit
liberated from the furies of his conscience — W.A.Kaufmann
c. : one who resembles an avenging or infernal spirit ; especially : a malicious or spiteful woman
sometimes she behaves like … a vindictive fury — Rosemary Benét
3. : extreme impetuosity or violence : unrestrained force
attacked with fury and precision — T.R.Hay
4. : a state of inspired exaltation : afflatus
in an age of formalism, poetic fury itself became a formal requirement — Irving Babbitt
Synonyms: see anger
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- like fury