[Vocabulary] How does atrocious and ferocious differ in meaning?

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tatoearashiga

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in addition, in what context is the word better than the other?

For example.

The weather brings ferocious/atrocious wind.

Vampires are ferocious/atrocious beast.
 

Grumpy

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Atrocious means extremely wicked, very bad. It generally refers to an action or a situation - hence "atrocity".
Ferocious means fierce, savage, cruel. It generally refers to an individual or individuals, or animal(s).
So I would go with ferocious for vampires. But for weather/wind it's not so simple. Perhaps: "The weather is atrocious because of the ferocious wind" [although one wouldn't actually string 2 "ocious's together in the same sentence).
 
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