virile
Americanadjective
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of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or befitting a man; masculine; manly.
virile strength.
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having or exhibiting masculine energy, forcefulness, or strength in a marked degree.
- Synonyms:
- vigorous
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characterized by a vigorous, masculine spirit.
a virile literary style.
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of, relating to, or capable of procreation.
adjective
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of, relating to, or having the characteristics of an adult male
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(of a male) possessing high sexual drive and capacity for sexual intercourse
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of or capable of copulation or procreation
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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.
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.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 20, 2025
In a YouTube video, a priest is championing a form of virile, unapologetic masculinity.
From BBC • May 24, 2025
Now, a new, more virile chortle has risen to take its place.
From Slate • Aug. 10, 2023
It's similar more broadly to Nixon's obsession with big, strong, virile, authoritarian men.
From Salon • Mar. 18, 2023
His voice carried above the general disharmony and virile hum of the squadrons.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
