violently
Americanadverb
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in a way that involves uncontrolled or destructive force.
He struck the table violently with his clenched fist and shouted for more.
Dramatic video shows soldiers violently removing voters from polling stations.
-
in an intense or extreme way.
He was violently ill after ten minutes, but soon recovered fully.
We were awoken early in the morning when the house began shaking violently.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of violently
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.
“Stocks that move this violently in both directions tend to keep doing so, and today’s rally, however well justified by the news, doesn’t change that underlying volatility,” Friedman said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
"The train started rocking violently and then I remember clocking eyes with this guy and then there was a lot of screaming," passenger Rachel Heath said.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
As the water moves beyond the constricted section, pressure rises and the bubbles violently collapse.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
In that regard, the 2026 World Cup has been a head-shaking failure—especially to the fans in star-spangled jerseys who hopped on the bandwagon only to be violently thrown off a few days later.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
She caught some water with her first breath and coughed violently as she collapsed to the ground.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
