Standard Lemma guide

fiercely

adv · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈfɪɹsli/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈfɪəsli/
  • British, Southern, Standard: /ˈfɪːslɪj/
  • British, Southern, Standard: /ˈfɪjəslɪj/
  • New-Zealand: /ˈfiəsli/
  • Scotland: /ˈfiɾsle/
  • Scotland: /-lɪ/
  • Scotland: /-li/
  • /ˈfɛːsli/ East Anglia, cheer–chair merger
  • CMU ARPABET: F IH1 R S L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

In a fierce manner.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The wind blew fiercely and the rain fell heavily.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

Extremely; to a large degree.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • fiercely competitive
  • a fiercely loved woman
  • a fiercely proud father
  • fiercely disappointed
  • fiercely loyal
  • fiercely independent

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adverb

Meaning 3

in a physically fierce manner

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • silence broken by dogs barking ferociously
  • they fought fiercely

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ferociously

Antonyms: none provided

4

adverb

Meaning 4

in an emotionally fierce manner

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • she was fiercely proud of her children

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English fersly; equivalent to fierce + -ly.

Across languages

Translations

36 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: feroçment — in a fierce manner
  • Finnish: raivokkaasti — in a fierce manner
  • Finnish: hurjasti — in a fierce manner
  • Finnish: tulisesti — in a fierce manner
  • Finnish: rajusti — in a fierce manner
  • French: âprement — in a fierce manner
  • French: farouchement — in a fierce manner
  • West-Frisian: fûl — in a fierce manner
  • Georgian: მძვინვარედ (mʒvinvared) — in a fierce manner
  • German: heftig — in a fierce manner
  • German: wütend — in a fierce manner
  • Greek: αγρίως (agríos) — in a fierce manner
  • Greek: άγρια (ágria) — in a fierce manner
  • Hungarian: vadul — in a fierce manner
  • Italian: trucemente — in a fierce manner
  • Italian: perfidamente — in a fierce manner
  • Italian: ferocemente — in a fierce manner
  • Italian: accanitamente — in a fierce manner
  • Italian: tenacemente — in a fierce manner
  • Latin: ferociter — in a fierce manner
  • Latin: atrociter — in a fierce manner
  • Middle English: wode — in a fierce manner
  • Middle English: fersly — in a fierce manner
  • Polish: zawzięcie — in a fierce manner
  • Polish: ostro — in a fierce manner
  • Polish: gwałtownie — in a fierce manner
  • Portuguese: ferozmente — in a fierce manner
  • Russian: свире́по (svirépo) — in a fierce manner
  • Russian: лю́то (ljúto) — in a fierce manner
  • Russian: жесто́ко (žestóko) — in a fierce manner
  • Russian: я́ростно (járostno) — in a fierce manner
  • Russian: неи́стово (neístovo) — in a fierce manner
  • Serbo-Croatian: жестоко — in a fierce manner
  • Serbo-Croatian: žestoko — in a fierce manner
  • Spanish: fieramente — in a fierce manner
  • Ukrainian: лю́то (ljúto) — in a fierce manner