virile
Americanadjective
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of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or befitting a man; masculine; manly.
virile strength.
-
having or exhibiting masculine energy, forcefulness, or strength in a marked degree.
- Synonyms:
- vigorous
-
characterized by a vigorous, masculine spirit.
a virile literary style.
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of, relating to, or capable of procreation.
adjective
-
of, relating to, or having the characteristics of an adult male
-
(of a male) possessing high sexual drive and capacity for sexual intercourse
-
of or capable of copulation or procreation
-
strong, forceful, or vigorous
Related Words
See male.
Other Word Forms
- nonvirile adjective
- subvirile adjective
- ultravirile adjective
- unvirile adjective
- virility noun
Etymology
Origin of virile
1480–90; from Latin virīlis “manly,” equivalent to vir “man” (akin to Old English wer “man”; werewolf ) + -īlis -ile
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.
It inspired his themes—war, fear, mutilation, endurance, courage, comradeship and death—and his laconic and stoical, virile and aggressive heroes.
The performances of the symphonies, on Thursday and Saturday, came across considerably more persuasively than the concerto did on Wednesday, though Mr. Zukerman, now age 77, was in fine, virile form.
In a YouTube video, a priest is championing a form of virile, unapologetic masculinity.
From BBC
Judging by the sporting photos on his campaign website, Kennedy would like to be seen as the virile, athletic and spry choice for the White House.
From Los Angeles Times
It's similar more broadly to Nixon's obsession with big, strong, virile, authoritarian men.
From Salon
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.
