violent

[vahy-uh-luh nt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR violent ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

acting with or characterized by uncontrolled, strong, rough force: a violent earthquake.

caused by injurious or destructive force: a violent death.

intense in force, effect, etc.; severe; extreme: violent pain; violent cold.

roughly or immoderately vehement or ardent: violent passions.

furious in impetuosity, energy, etc.: violent haste.

of, relating to, or constituting a distortion of meaning or fact.

Origin of violent

1300–50; Middle English < Latin violentus, equivalent to vi-, shortening (before a vowel) of base of vīs force, violence + -olentus, variant (after a vowel) of -ulentus -ulent

Related formsvi·o·lent·ly, adverbo·ver·vi·o·lent, adjectiveo·ver·vi·o·lent·ly, adverbo·ver·vi·o·lent·ness, nounqua·si-vi·o·lent, adjectivequa·si-vi·o·lent·ly, adverbself-vi·o·lent, adjectiveul·tra·vi·o·lent, adjectiveul·tra·vi·o·lent·ly, adverbun·vi·o·lent, adjectiveun·vi·o·lent·ly, adverb

Can be confusedviolent virulent

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

Related Words for violent

savage, crazy, murderous, homicidal, powerful, vicious, brutal, cruel, potent, fierce, passionate, hysterical, uncontrollable, harsh, turbulent, devastating, terrible, outrageous, intense, painful

Examples from the Web for violent

Contemporary Examples of violent

Forget those silly “games played with the ball”; they are far “too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind.”
Forget the Resolutions; Try a Few Declarations
Kevin Bleyer
January 1, 2015
While violent offenses are dramatically down in Bed Stuy, pockets of violence persist here.
Anger at The Cop Killer - And The Police
M.L. Nestel
December 21, 2014
On and offline, offenses ranged from awful Tinder messages to violent threats on Twitter to street stalking.
10 Things That Made Us Want to Turn Off the Internet Forever in 2014
The Daily Beast
December 15, 2014
And, also, the violent version is, I think a little bit too much for a comedy.
Sony Emails Show How the Studio Plans to Censor Kim Jong Un Assassination Comedy ‘The Interview’
William Boot
December 15, 2014
Along with this violent growth, Boko Haram has increasingly targeted women.
The New Face of Boko Haram’s Terror: Teen Girls
Nina Strochlic
December 13, 2014

Historical Examples of violent

Many replies were made to Mr. Gladstone's pamphlet that were violent and abusive.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
You are your mother's girl, think what you will; and have violent spirits to contend with.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
What saved the two of them was the violent temper of the man.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
But, what roused him in violent resentment only appealed to Sidney's curiosity.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
He was as wicked as most of the race, fierce, violent, and voluptuous.
Cameos from English History, from Rollo to Edward II
Charlotte Mary Yonge

British Dictionary definitions for violent

violent

adjective

marked or caused by great physical force or violencea violent stab

(of a person) tending to the use of violence, esp in order to injure or intimidate others

marked by intensity of any kinda violent clash of colours

characterized by an undue use of force; severe; harsh

caused by or displaying strong or undue mental or emotional forcea violent tongue

tending to distort the meaning or intenta violent interpretation of the text

Derived Formsviolently, adverb

Word Origin for violent

C14: from Latin violentus, probably from vīs strength

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 violent

adj.

mid-14c.; see violence. In Middle English the word also was applied in reference to heat, sunlight, smoke, etc., with the sense "having some quality so strongly as to produce a powerful effect." Related: Violently.