violently

[vahy-uh-luhnt-lee, vahy-luhnt-]

adverb

1. 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.

2. 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

• overviolently adverb
• quasi-violently adverb
• ultraviolently adverb
• unviolently adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of violently¹

violent ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

"The immune system interprets this vaccine, based on dendritic cells from a healthy donor fused with the patient's tumor cells, as a transplant and reacts violently," said Barbuto.

Read more on Science Daily

By summer they had morphed into a wider anti-government movement as she used the police to violently crack down on protesters.

Read more on BBC

Under the court order, officers are allowed to use those weapons “only when the officer reasonably believes that a suspect is violently resisting arrest or poses an immediate threat of violence or physical harm.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Fondly known as Mama Samia, the 65-year-old president is now facing mounting accusations of heading a repressive government responsible for violently crushing historic protests.

Read more on BBC

But luckily there’s a drug, Hudsacillin, that makes you so violently ill that the celebrity in question has to cancel their appearance.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fiercely 
• forcefully www.thesaurus.com
• forcibly 
• intensely 
• powerfully www.thesaurus.com
• strongly 
• vigorously