violence

American  

[vahy-uh-luhns] / ˈvaɪ ə ləns /

noun

1. swift and intense force.

   the violence of a storm.

   Synonyms:

   fury, impact, power, might

2. rough or injurious physical force, action, or treatment.

   to die by violence.

3. an unjust or unwarranted exertion of force or power, as against rights or laws.

   to take over a government by violence.

4. a violent act or proceeding.

5. rough or immoderate vehemence, as of feeling or language.

   the violence of his hatred.

6. damage through distortion or unwarranted alteration.

   to do editorial violence to a text.

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violence British  

/ ˈvaɪələns /

noun

1. the exercise or an instance of physical force, usually effecting or intended to effect injuries, destruction, etc

2. powerful, untamed, or devastating force

   the violence of the sea

3. great strength of feeling, as in language, etc; fervour

4. an unjust, unwarranted, or unlawful display of force, esp such as tends to overawe or intimidate

5. 1. to inflict harm upon; damage or violate

      they did violence to the prisoners

   2. to distort or twist the sense or intention of

      the reporters did violence to my speech

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• counterviolence
  noun
• self-violence
  noun
• antiviolence
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of violence

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin violentia; see violent, -ence

Explanation

Violence is aggression, usually physical aggression that causes harm. Beating someone up and attacking a defenseless village are both forms of violence. From wars and acts of terrorism to bar brawls, violence is unfortunately very common in the world — and when there's violence, people get hurt. But you'll see a lot of organized violence and acts of aggression in sports: boxing and football are extremely violent, which is why people who play those sports get so many injuries. We can also say that something powerful or wild happens with violence, like a destructive tornado.

Example Sentences

“It just feels like there’s violence in the humidity in the South,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

Negative media coverage nearly ended the event, particularly in 2002, when headlines falsely implicated violence at an unaffiliated after-show party.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

It is for this reason that transgender people who survive violence often find themselves transformed from victims into suspects—especially if they are nonwhite and/or low-income.

From Slate • Jun. 4, 2026

Spoon-feeding this critical bit of dialogue early in the film allows Barker to heap as much violence, trauma and tropes onto Nikki’s character as possible, under the guise of thematic callbacks.

From Salon • Jun. 4, 2026

Omakayas hid her face as thunder rolled, smacking onto the lakeshore, waking everything and everyone with its quick violence.

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich

Related Words

• assault
• attack
• bloodshed
• brutality
• clash
• confusion
• cruelty
• disorder
• disturbance
• fighting
• rampage
• struggle
• terrorism