vehement

[vee-uh-muhnt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vehement ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

zealous; ardent; impassioned: a vehement defense; vehement enthusiasm.

characterized by rancor or anger; violent: vehement hostility.

strongly emotional; intense or passionate: vehement desire.

marked by great energy or exertion; strenuous: vehement clapping.

Origin of vehement

1475–85; < Latin vehement-, stem of vehemēns, vēmēns violent, forceful (of uncertain derivation)

Related formsve·he·ment·ly, adverbnon·ve·he·ment, adjectivenon·ve·he·ment·ly, adverbo·ver·ve·he·ment, adjectiveo·ver·ve·he·ment·ly, adverbun·ve·he·ment, adjectiveun·ve·he·ment·ly, adverb

Synonyms for vehement

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vehement ON THESAURUS.COM

1. earnest, fervent, fervid. 2. burning, fiery.

Antonyms for vehement

1, 2. dispassionate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for vehement

furious, zealous, impassioned, forceful, enthusiastic, potent, fervent, ardent, violent, rabid, heated, fierce, angry, emphatic, concentrated, delirious, desperate, eager, earnest, exquisite

Examples from the Web for vehement

Contemporary Examples of vehement

My vehement dislike for the accoutrement stems back to 1982 when I was asked to wear pink roses in my hair to a family wedding.
Flower Crowns Are Phony and Must Die
Sara Lieberman
September 5, 2014
The ire Friedberg and Seltzer have drawn from crowds is both boisterous and vehement–Airplane!
Seth MacFarlane’s ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’ Is Yet Another Failed Spoof
Alex Suskind
May 29, 2014
Our vehement prejudices leave us no patience for his appeal to radical humanism.
How to Fight for Freedom in 2014
James Poulos
December 29, 2013
Even proposing to shift funding for entitlements from payroll to consumption based taxes meets vehement opposition.
We're All Reactionaries Now
Justin Green
May 2, 2013
By now there are many hundreds of these tweets, varying from vehement to vituperative, from accusatory to abusive.
The Newtown Heckling Controversy
David Frum
January 30, 2013

Historical Examples of vehement

This outburst from Mrs. Porter startled the girl; it was so passionate, so vehement.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
Vehement cheers from the ministerial benches; cries of "Order!"
Alice, or The Mysteries, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
He started from his revery with a vehement gesture, and groaned audibly.
Alice, or The Mysteries, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Mr Flintwinch had pulled him into his coat with vehement energy.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
Then began a contention the most vehement that ever I had with woman.
Clarissa, Volume 3 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson

British Dictionary definitions for vehement

vehement

adjective

marked by intensity of feeling or conviction; emphatic

(of actions, gestures, etc) characterized by great energy, vigour, or force; furious

Derived Formsvehemence, nounvehemently, adverb

Word Origin for vehement

C15: from Latin vehemēns ardent; related to vehere to carry

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for vehement

adj.

late 15c., from Middle French vehement "impetuous, ardent," from Latin vehementem (nominative vehemens) "impetuous, carried away," perhaps from a lost present middle participle of vehere "to carry" (see vehicle). The other theory is that it represents vehe- "lacking, wanting" + mens "mind." Related: Vehemently.