fiercest

adj.violent, menacing

Antonyms for fiercest

Word Origin & History

mid-13c., "proud, noble, bold," from Old French fers, nominative form of fer, fier "strong, overwhelming, violent, fierce, wild; proud, mighty, great, impressive" (Modern French fier "proud, haughty"), from Latin ferus "wild, untamed," from PIE root *ghwer- "wild, wild animal" (cf. Greek ther, Old Church Slavonic zveri, Lithuanian zveris "wild beast").

Original English sense of "brave, proud" died out 16c., but caused the word at first to be commonly used as an epithet, which accounts for the rare instance of a French word entering English in the nominative case. Meaning "ferocious, wild, savage" is from c.1300. Related: Fiercely; fierceness.

Example Sentences forfiercest

At this hour of fiercest sun the whole world slept with him.

The failure of the attempt was followed by the fiercest paroxysms.

A sight which roused in him afresh—on the instant—all his fiercest animosities.

Spent with struggle, stumbled the warrior, fiercest of fighting-men, fell adown.

He always, however, kept his fiercest animosity for the Rougons.

With horrific pants he emitted smokiest smoke and fiercest fire.

This was one of the fiercest battles ever fought on Mexican soil.

And yet they have taken the lead in the fiercest insurrections of modern Irish democracy.

Of all bores, the grievancemonger is the fiercest and worst.

We could rout the fiercest tribe on the frontier, without difficulty.