Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Characterized by, causing, or promoting the rapid onset of severe illness. Used of a disease or toxin.
- adjective Capable of causing disease by aggressively interfering with the immune system of the host. Used of a pathogen.
- adjective Extremely hostile or malicious.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Full of virus; extremely poisonous or venomous.
- Due to the action of a virus: as, a virulent inoculation.
- Very bitter or spiteful; malignant: as, a virulent invective; a virulent libel.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Extremely poisonous or venomous; very active in doing injury.
- adjective Very bitter in enmity; actuated by a desire to injure; malignant.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective highly
infectious ,malignant , ordeadly . - adjective
Hostile to the point of being venomous; intenselyacrimonious .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective harsh or corrosive in tone
- adjective extremely poisonous or injurious; producing venom
- adjective infectious; having the ability to cause disease
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The term virulent, you see, is used to mean something virus-like, especially in the manner and speed it spreads itself.
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The Culture of Critique, and we continue to see it when the word "virulent" - meaning
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The gravest manifestation of the power of violence to remain alive and virulent occurs when the violated become abusers.
John Thatamanil: Why Remember? John Thatamanil 2011
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The gravest manifestation of the power of violence to remain alive and virulent occurs when the violated become abusers.
John Thatamanil: Why Remember? John Thatamanil 2011
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However, three types are what could be described as virulent: wild garlic, bamboo and Japanese knotweed.
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LEAVITT: We'll have a pandemic if a highly-efficient and virulent, that is to say very powerful virus, begins to pass from person to person.
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The earliest meaning of the adjective virulent from the Latin virus, “poison” was the nature of an infection “marked by a rapid, malignant course.”
No Uncertain Terms William Safire 2003
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The earliest meaning of the adjective virulent from the Latin virus, “poison” was the nature of an infection “marked by a rapid, malignant course.”
No Uncertain Terms William Safire 2003
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The earliest meaning of the adjective virulent from the Latin virus, “poison” was the nature of an infection “marked by a rapid, malignant course.”
No Uncertain Terms William Safire 2003
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The earliest meaning of the adjective virulent from the Latin virus, “poison” was the nature of an infection “marked by a rapid, malignant course.”
No Uncertain Terms William Safire 2003
brtom commented on the word virulent
"By cunning, cautious; or by nature, cold, 15
In maiden madness, virulently bold!"
Sheridan, School for Scandal
January 2, 2008
seanahan commented on the word virulent
That's an excellent metaphoric use of virulent.
January 4, 2008
Wee commented on the word virulent
"Time had been wanton, virulent and spiteful." Money. Amis, Martin.
September 11, 2011