fierce
- Very strong, powerful, or violent in a way that can feel scary or overwhelming.
- In informal use, extremely impressive or intense, as in a fierce performance.
In a sentence
- The fierce wind knocked over several trees along the street.
- The two teams had a fierce rivalry that made every game exciting to watch.
Usage note. In modern informal speech, 'fierce' is often used positively to mean impressively bold or strong, but in formal writing it still primarily signals danger or intensity.
Where it comes from
English fierce · entered English 13th c.
From Old French 'fiers' (nominative of 'fier'), meaning 'proud, wild, or cruel,' which came from Latin 'ferus' meaning 'wild' or 'untamed.' The word entered Middle English in the 13th century, originally carrying strong senses of savagery and ferocity.