Meaning & use
fierce competitor
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A person or company that competes with great energy, determination, and aggression.
Grammar: Countable: a fierce competitor, two fierce competitors.
Patterns
- a fierce competitor in something
- be a fierce competitor
She is a fierce competitor who never gives up.
The company is a fierce competitor in the smartphone market.
As a fierce competitor, he hates losing more than he enjoys winning.
Word forms
| plural | fierce competitors |
|---|
Common combinations
- a fierce competitor in the market
- They are a fierce competitor in the global market.
- be a fierce competitor
- He is a fierce competitor on the tennis court.
- a fierce competitor for something
- She is a fierce competitor for the top prize.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tough competitor
- Similar, but 'tough' emphasizes resilience and strength rather than aggressive energy.
- aggressive player
- More specific to sports; 'aggressive' can sound negative, while 'fierce' often suggests admirable determination.
Opposites
Word family
- fiercely adverb
- In a fierce manner: fiercely competitive.
- fierceness noun
- The quality of being fierce.
- compete verb
- To take part in a contest or try to win.
- competition noun
- The activity of competing, or an event where people compete.
Commonly confused: fierce competitor or fierce competition?
fierce competitor vs fierce competition
This refers to the situation of intense rivalry, not to a person or company. 'Fierce competitor' is a person or company; 'fierce competition' is the contest itself.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'fierce competitor' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Fierce competitor' describes someone who competes with great energy and determination. The other options contradict that meaning or use the phrase incorrectly.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fierce competitor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.