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virulent
[ vir-yuh-luhnt, vir-uh- ]
/ ˈvɪr yə lənt, ˈvɪr ə- /
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adjective
actively poisonous; intensely noxious: a virulent insect bite.
Medicine/Medical. highly infective; malignant or deadly.
Bacteriology. causing clinical symptoms.
violently or spitefully hostile.
intensely bitter, spiteful, or malicious: a virulent attack.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of virulent
OTHER WORDS FROM virulent
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH virulent
violent, virulentWords nearby virulent
virtuous, virtuous circle, virtute et armis, virucide, virulence, virulent, virus, virus chip, virusoid, vis, visa
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use virulent in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for virulent
virulent
/ (ˈvɪrʊlənt) /
adjective
- (of a microorganism) extremely infective
- (of a disease) having a rapid course and violent effect
extremely poisonous, injurious, etc
extremely bitter, hostile, etc
Derived forms of virulent
virulently, adverbWord Origin for virulent
C14: from Latin vīrulentus full of poison, from vīrus poison; see virus
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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