The word "狰狞" is formed from two characters: 狰, composed of the radical 犭 (dog) and the phonetic component 争 (zhēng), and 狞, composed of the radical 犭 (dog) and the phonetic component 宁 (níng). Both characters independently convey ferocity, and their combination in the word intensifies the meaning to describe something savagely fierce or hideous.