fiercely

[ feers-lee ]

adverb

1. in a menacing, violent, or forceful way:

   The bear stood on his back paws, growling fiercely.

   Currently, some 20 wildfires are raging fiercely through the state.

2. in an eager or intense way:

   Isaiah has developed into a fiercely competitive soccer player.

Other Words From

• o·ver·fierce·ly adverb
• un·fierce·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of fiercely¹

fierce ( def ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Still, there has always been an earnestness about him — a fierce loyalty to teammates, an obsession with studying and preparing and a warmth that always made him one of the most popular players everywhere he played.

From Washington Post

It would have used those fierce tentacles — the longest was 14 feet — to latch onto its prey and pull it closer to its beaklike mouth.

From Washington Post

The closer we get to the holidays, the more competition gets fierce over major seasonal terms.

From Search Engine Watch

The second-half battles have been too fierce to suggest that winning won’t follow eventually.

From Washington Post

In the 1990s, a fierce confrontation in the Pacific Northwest pitted loggers against activists and scientists trying to defend ancient forests.

From Outside Online

With twice as many British soldiers, Washington was in for a fiercely competitive battle of wit and strength.

From The Daily Beast

In the case of Wikipedia, its de­fenders were fiercely committed.

From The Daily Beast

Anything acknowledgment of potential downsides to a policy must be rebutted fiercely.

From The Daily Beast

Fiercely proud of her heritage, she deplores the racial prejudice she encountered when she came to Hollywood at age 17.

From The Daily Beast

Middleton also says in her piece that she, like the rest of her family, is "fiercely competitive."

From The Daily Beast

The young lady, hearing his step, turned round and stood on the stair, confronting him fiercely.

From Project Gutenberg

Many adults, it is said, hardly have a rudiment of this feeling, pairing the most fiercely antagonistic tints.

From Project Gutenberg

“Yes; that would be indispensible,” said the baron, whose eyes were sweeping the room from corner to corner, fiercely and swiftly.

From Project Gutenberg

He drew himself up, threw back his head, and looked the Parisian fiercely in the eye.

From Project Gutenberg

The Empress's hand was on her beating forehead, but she turned, even fiercely to his question.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• angrily
• boldly
• brutally
• ferociously
• forcefully
• frantically
• furiously
• madly
• mightily
• passionately
• savagely
• severely
• vehemently
• viciously
• wildly