violence

American  

[vahy-uh-luhns] / ˈvaɪ ə ləns /

noun

• violence
  plural

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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• counterviolence
  noun
• self-violence
  noun
• antiviolence
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• violence
  plural

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

See Examples For:

violence

Pillay’s career includes challenging apartheid in South Africa and serving on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, where she helped establish legal precedents recognizing sexual violence as an act of genocide.

From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2026

Studies have shown that nearly all women lawmakers experience harassment, despite being a smaller portion of representatives, and threats of violence prevent women from running for office.

From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2026

This book about adapting ancient poetry in the most unpromising of circumstances explores the fantastic possibilities for connection, for liberation and for violence that can ensue from such reinventions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Megan said she did not know whether the anonymous allegations published by the account were true, but believed the posts raised questions about the culture surrounding sexual violence within the university community.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Just as foragers exhibited a wide array of religions and social structures, so, too, did they probably demonstrate a variety of violence rates.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Related Words

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