Home North American English fiercely

Definition of fiercely in US English:

fiercely

adverb

1In a savagely violent or aggressive manner.
‘the army clashed fiercely with militants’
- ‘As if they were in grade school again, they rolled over one another, fiercely hitting whenever and wherever they could.’
- ‘With Zeus turned away from the battle, Poseidon inspires Ajax and Idomeneus to fight more fiercely.’
- ‘The commanders fight fiercely and win the day against the traitorous forces.’
- ‘He had been kicked and punched fiercely but hadn't fought back, hadn't even tried.’
- ‘She continued to twist and fight fiercely against her bonds, but they grew even tighter.’
- ‘All our citizens, especially young people, will fiercely oppose anyone who tries to attack.’
- ‘The hunter leaped up in the air, fiercely kicked at her head, and tackled her before she could even drop to the floor.’
- ‘The Romans dithered and competed for the honor of victory, while the people of Carthage fought fiercely, knowing their fate.’
- ‘They reached the ravine and fiercely laid siege to the strong defenses made there in the last attempt to stop them.’
- ‘They drew brightly decorated swords from the sheaths, and fiercely struck the Assyrian warriors, those intent on aggression.’
1. 1.1 In a powerful and destructive manner.
  ‘the wind was blowing fiercely’
  ‘the fire was already burning fiercely’
  ‘The heartless wife suggested that she should make her husband's bath so fiercely hot that he would not survive after entering it.’
  ‘The recycling bins for paper and cardboard burned easily and fiercely.’
  ‘A fiercely bright light awoke me form my coma.’
  ‘The rain beat against the frosted window while the wind howled fiercely.’
  ‘He has a couple of ex-con punks working for him in all kinds of criminal activity, and it is they who spark the flames that burn so fiercely.’
  ‘Enemy planes make attacks on port, scoring a direct hit on a supply ship that blazes fiercely till next morning, when it is sunk by a British salvo.’
  ‘There were all sorts of problems that came from people having rather weak identities that were being fiercely buffeted by their social circumstances.’
  ‘The tale informs us that the sun, one day, burned so fiercely as to cause great distress.’
  ‘When the sun beat down too fiercely, she would take me to the funerary temple of the great Queen Hatshepsut.’
  ‘And we kept looking out and noticing that the waves were getting bigger and the wind was blowing more fiercely.’
2. 1.2 With a heartfelt and powerful intensity.
  ‘campaigners have fiercely opposed the proposals’
  as submodifier ‘they are fiercely independent’
  ‘While their fiercely offbeat sounds may initially dissuade, a bit of perseverance can reap immense rewards.’
  ‘An exciting and charismatic figure, Harry chooses his friends carefully and is fiercely loyal to the end.’
  ‘My objection to his reading is that it is too fiercely moralistic and diminishes Shakespeare's spirit of intellectual inquiry.’
  ‘The still center of the action is Andromache, grieving for the dead Hector and fiercely protective of her young son.’
  ‘The film's use of music is as fiercely original as its camerawork.’
  ‘The dominant ideology remained fiercely scientific, the battle against the bugs being the front line.’
  ‘"Universities are competing more fiercely for students, especially for those who'll live on campus," he says.’
  ‘He is a farmer, fiercely loyal to the land that provides his livelihood.’
  ‘But the more they deny their passion, the more fiercely it burns.’
  ‘He is fiercely protective of his home, a haven amidst the chaos.’