violent
Americanadjective
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acting with or characterized by uncontrolled, strong, rough force.
a violent earthquake.
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caused by injurious or destructive force.
a violent death.
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intense in force, effect, etc.; severe; extreme.
violent pain;
violent cold.
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roughly or immoderately vehement or ardent.
violent passions.
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furious in impetuosity, energy, etc..
violent haste.
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of, relating to, or constituting a distortion of meaning or fact.
adjective
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marked or caused by great physical force or violence
a violent stab
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(of a person) tending to the use of violence, esp in order to injure or intimidate others
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marked by intensity of any kind
a violent clash of colours
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characterized by an undue use of force; severe; harsh
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caused by or displaying strong or undue mental or emotional force
a violent tongue
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tending to distort the meaning or intent
a violent interpretation of the text
Other Word Forms
- overviolent adjective
- overviolentness noun
- quasi-violent adjective
- self-violent adjective
- ultraviolent adjective
- unviolent adjective
- violently adverb
Etymology
Origin of violent
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin violentus, equivalent to vi-, shortening (before a vowel) of base of vīs “force, violence” + -olentus, variant (after a vowel) of -ulentus -ulent
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His death, if confirmed and in such violent circumstances, heralds a new and uncertain future, both in Iran and the wider region.
From BBC
Given the capacity of the Middle East to export trouble, the eruption of renewed and intensified war deepens the instability of region and wider world that is already turbulent, violent and dangerous.
From BBC
Ottawa has already said it believes India is not currently linked to violent crimes or threats on Canadian soil.
From BBC
That kind of market broadening is often viewed as a bullish signal—but the rotation turned violent in February, with muted moves in broader indexes sometimes masking sharper moves beneath the surface.
UN experts, including the special rapporteur on human rights for Iran Mai Sato, stress that internet restrictions and widespread detentions make it "impossible to determine the true scale of the violent crackdown" at this stage.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
