1.
fury; ferocity; devastating force
Overwhelming, destructive power, especially of natural disasters, epidemics, or other forces beyond human control. Almost always used with を振るう (to rage, to wreak havoc).
台風が猛威を振るった。
The typhoon raged with devastating force.
インフルエンザが全国で猛威を振るっている。
Influenza is raging across the entire country.
記録的な大雪が猛威を振るい、交通機関が完全にストップした。
Record-breaking heavy snow raged and public transportation came to a complete halt.
USAGE:
Almost exclusively used in the fixed phrase 猛威を振るう (to rage, to wreak havoc). Rarely appears outside this collocation. Subjects are typically natural disasters (台風, 地震), diseases (インフルエンザ, ウイルス), or other destructive forces.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 猛威を振るう (to rage, to wreak havoc)
- 猛威をふるい続ける (to continue raging)
- 自然の猛威 (the fury of nature)
NOTE:
This word is a bound noun — it almost never appears alone without を振るう. Learning the full phrase is more useful than learning the word in isolation.