1.
[syn: ferociousness, brutality, viciousness, savagery]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Ferocious \Fe*ro"cious\, a. [L. ferox, -ocis, fierce: cf. F.
f['e]roce. See Ferocity.]
Fierce; savage; wild; indicating cruelty; ravenous;
rapacious; as, ferocious look or features; a ferocious lion.
[1913 Webster]
The humbled power of a ferocious enemy. --Lowth.
Syn: Ferocious, Fierce, Savage, Barbarous.
Usage: When these words are applied to human feelings or
conduct, ferocious describes the disposition; fierce,
the haste and violence of an act; barbarous, the
coarseness and brutality by which it was marked;
savage, the cruel and unfeeling spirit which it
showed. A man is ferocious in his temper, fierce in
his actions, barbarous in the manner of carrying out
his purposes, savage in the spirit and feelings
expressed in his words or deeds. -- Fe*ro"cious*ly,
adv. -- Fe*ro"cious*ness, n.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
ferociousness \ferociousness\ n.
the trait of extreme cruelty.
Syn: brutality, viciousness, savageness, savagery.
[WordNet 1.5]
It [Christianity] has adapted the ferociousness of
war. --Blair.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
ferociousness
n 1: the trait of extreme cruelty [syn: ferociousness,
brutality, viciousness, savagery]