violently
Americanadverb
-
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.
-
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
Etymology
Origin of violently
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.
Journalist Nicole Kolster was at home in Venezuela's capital city Caracas when her apartment started shaking violently.
From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026
The audio has a distinctly early-2000s quality to it, reminiscent of the days when incoming calls caused nearby speakers to violently stutter.
From Slate • Jun. 20, 2026
With swaths of Congolese territory violently contested, efforts to contain the outbreak are severely constrained, according to health officials.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
Oil prices have risen since the start of the US-Iran conflict on February 28, often swinging violently in response to the war's ever-changing headlines.
From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026
And now everything comes in quick, disjointed images, like reality is violently strobing around me.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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.
