as in brutality
a very fierce or violent quality; the quality or state of being ferocious
the ferocity of the attack The ferocity of the backlash took them by surprise.
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Recent Examples of ferocity
For their second Carabao Cup final at Wembley, against Liverpool a year ago, there was ferocity on and off the pitch.
—
George Caulkin, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026
But why, in the dream, is Cesar Romero moving toward me with the alluring ferocity of Anne Francis, the star of Honey West?
—Literary Hub, 17 Mar. 2026
When the war began, the Emirates was briefly in shock at the ferocity of the Iranian attack—in particular because the Emirates and all of its neighbors had objected to the war and declined to let its territory be used to attack Iran.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2026
The sequel throws the bride, Grace, played with feral ferocity by Samara Weaving into another, even more twisted game.
—Jada Yuan, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ferocity
George Caulkin, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026
But why, in the dream, is Cesar Romero moving toward me with the alluring ferocity of Anne Francis, the star of Honey West?
—Literary Hub, 17 Mar. 2026
When the war began, the Emirates was briefly in shock at the ferocity of the Iranian attack—in particular because the Emirates and all of its neighbors had objected to the war and declined to let its territory be used to attack Iran.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2026
The sequel throws the bride, Grace, played with feral ferocity by Samara Weaving into another, even more twisted game.
—Jada Yuan, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ferocity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ferocity
Noun
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Good Friday is a day to recognize the brutality of the Roman practice of crucifying criminals and to reflect with sincerity on the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for the world.—
Nicole Russell,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
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All are committed to the principles of the 1979 revolution and will rule with greater brutality given their lack of legitimacy.—
Abigail Williams,
NBC news,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The post-liberals stand for cruelty and inanity, but Brooks can’t admit to standing for much of anything at all.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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In an era of near continuous cruelty by the administration, the imprisonment of the boy and his father attracted massive media and political attention and eventually saw both released on February 1.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And then Portland reflected that ferociousness and held Phoenix to 77 points.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
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Here, sea level rise is accelerating at some of the most extreme rates on Earth, while hurricanes increasingly are swirling ashore with an unprecedented ferociousness.—
Amy Green,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The guy was a sleaze, but there’s a pretty big gap between sleaziness and murderousness.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
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While the Panthers might have other, bigger needs on Day 2 of the draft, Rivers plays with a fierceness and energy that Morgan can certainly appreciate.—
Mike Kaye
March 24,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Mar. 2026
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Meyers definitely attacked with a fierceness.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ferocity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ferocity. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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