English Reference
adjective

furious

adj.
US /ˈfjʊɹiəs/ UK /fjˈɔːɹɪəs/ fu·ri·ous

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    feeling or showing very strong anger.

    extremely angry; full of or characterized by rage. Often used with the preposition 'with' for people or 'at' for situations.

    Simple

    My boss was furious when he found out I had lost the keys.

    In context

    The residents were furious at the council's decision to demolish the historic park without any public consultation.

    Pitfall
    He was very furious with me. He was absolutely furious with me.

    Furious is an 'extreme' adjective. Use 'absolutely' or 'totally' instead of 'very' to make it stronger.

  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate

    done with great energy, speed, or violence.

    marked by extreme energy, speed, or intensity; moving with great violence or impetuosity.

    Simple

    The two teams played at a furious pace until the very last minute.

    In context

    A furious storm lashed the coast overnight, uprooting trees and causing significant damage to the harbour walls.

Image caption, Tom Jones is "furious he's been kicked out of his chair" on talent show The Voice, the Daily Star reports.

BBC News· 9 Sept 2026

Smith Rowe was furious after a sliced miss.

The Guardian· 27 Aug 2026

From Middle English furious, from Old French furieus, from Latin furiōsus. Displaced native Old English hātheort (literally “hot-hearted”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin furiōsus
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated