Fe*ro"cious (?), a. [L. ferox,
-ocis, fierce: cf. F. féroce. See
Ferocity.] Fierce; savage; wild; indicating cruelty;
ravenous; rapacious; as, ferocious look or features; a
ferocious lion.
The humbled power of a ferocious
enemy.
Lowth.
Syn. -- Ferocious, Fierce, Savage,
Barbarous. 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.
It [Christianity] has adapted the ferociousness
of war.
Blair.
