violent
Americanadjective
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acting with or characterized by uncontrolled, strong, rough force.
a violent earthquake.
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caused by injurious or destructive force.
a violent death.
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intense in force, effect, etc.; severe; extreme.
violent pain;
violent cold.
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roughly or immoderately vehement or ardent.
violent passions.
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furious in impetuosity, energy, etc..
violent haste.
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of, relating to, or constituting a distortion of meaning or fact.
adjective
-
marked or caused by great physical force or violence
a violent stab
-
(of a person) tending to the use of violence, esp in order to injure or intimidate others
-
marked by intensity of any kind
a violent clash of colours
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characterized by an undue use of force; severe; harsh
-
caused by or displaying strong or undue mental or emotional force
a violent tongue
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tending to distort the meaning or intent
a violent interpretation of the text
Other Word Forms
- overviolent adjective
- overviolentness noun
- quasi-violent adjective
- self-violent adjective
- ultraviolent adjective
- unviolent adjective
- violently adverb
Etymology
Origin of violent
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin violentus, equivalent to vi-, shortening (before a vowel) of base of vīs “force, violence” + -olentus, variant (after a vowel) of -ulentus -ulent
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.
Magistrate Mark Nieman told Taylor he was "a man who can be charming and pleasant, but you can be nasty and violent".
From BBC
The case attracted huge public attention, with Martin's supporters casting him as a man taking a stand to defend his home - and others believing he was a violent eccentric turned vigilante.
From BBC
The federation pressed for a reversal of "non-attendance policies" for incidents and warned that a shift towards non-custodial sentences, even for violent offenders, could give the appearance that there was "no meaningful deterrent".
From BBC
Presidents Day “may be a welcome relief to many, after last week was once again dominated by violent swings linked to AI,” Hargreaves Lansdown analyst Matt Britzman said.
From Barron's
Presidents Day “may be a welcome relief to many, after last week was once again dominated by violent swings linked to AI,” Hargreaves Lansdown analyst Matt Britzman said.
From Barron's
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.
