Adjacent Words

Virulent definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

VIR'ULENT, a. [L. virulentus, from virus, poison, that is, strength, from the same root as vir, vireo. See Venom.]
1. Extremely active in doing injury; very poisonous or venomous. No poison is more virulent than that of some species of serpents.
2. Very bitter in enmity; malignant; as a virulent invective.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: extremely poisonous or injurious; producing venom; "venomous snakes"; "a virulent insect bite" [syn: deadly, venomous, virulent]
2: infectious; having the ability to cause disease [ant: avirulent]
3: harsh or corrosive in tone; "an acerbic tone piercing otherwise flowery prose"; "a barrage of acid comments"; "her acrid remarks make her many enemies"; "bitter words"; "blistering criticism"; "caustic jokes about political assassination, talk-show hosts and medical ethics"; "a sulfurous denunciation"; "a vitriolic critique" [syn: acerb, acerbic, acid, acrid, bitter, blistering, caustic, sulfurous, sulphurous, virulent, vitriolic]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Latin virulentus, from virus poison Date: 14th century 1. a. marked by a rapid, severe, and destructive course <a virulent infection> b. able to overcome bodily defensive mechanisms ; markedly pathogenic <virulent bacteria> 2. extremely poisonous or venomous 3. full of malice ; malignant <virulent racists> 4. objectionably harsh or strong <virulent criticism> • virulently adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 strongly poisonous. 2 (of a disease) violent or malignant. 3 bitterly hostile (virulent animosity; virulent abuse). Derivatives: virulence n. virulently adv. Etymology: ME, orig. of a poisoned wound, f. L virulentus (as VIRUS)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Virulent Vir"u*lent, a. [L. virulentus, fr. virus poison: cf. F. virulent. See Virus.] 1. Extremely poisonous or venomous; very active in doing injury. A contagious disorder rendered more virulent by uncleanness. --Sir W. Scott. 2. Very bitter in enmity; actuated by a desire to injure; malignant; as, a virulent invective.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. Virulent feelings or actions are extremely bitter and hostile. (FORMAL) Now he faces virulent attacks from the Italian media... = vicious ADJ: usu ADJ n • virulently The talk was virulently hostile to the leadership. ADV: usu ADV adj 2. A virulent disease or poison is extremely powerful and dangerous. A very virulent form of the disease appeared in Belgium. ADJ

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Poisonous, venomous, malignant, highly noxious. 2. Malignant, acrimonious, bitter.

Moby Thesaurus

acerb, acerbate, acerbic, acid, acidic, acidulent, acidulous, acrid, acrimonious, acute, antagonistic, antipathetic, astringent, baleful, baneful, belligerent, biting, bitter, brutal, burning, catching, caustic, choleric, clashing, colliding, communicable, conflicting, contagious, corroding, corrosive, corrupting, corruptive, counterproductive, cutting, damaging, dangerous, deadly, death-bringing, deathful, deathly, deleterious, despiteful, destructive, detrimental, disadvantageous, disserviceable, distressing, double-edged, drastic, edged, embittered, envenomed, escharotic, excessive, exorbitant, extravagant, extreme, fatal, feral, fierce, full of hate, furious, great, harmful, harsh, hateful, hostile, hurtful, immoderate, incisive, infectious, infective, injurious, intemperate, intense, internecine, keen, killing, lethal, malefic, malevolent, malicious, malign, malignant, mephitic, miasmal, miasmatic, miasmic, mischievous, mordacious, mordant, mortal, nasty, noisome, noxious, ominous, outrageous, penetrating, pernicious, pestiferous, pestilential, piercing, poignant, poison, poisonous, prejudicial, quarrelsome, rancorous, rankled, repugnant, resentful, resenting, rigorous, rough, sarcastic, savage, scatheful, scathing, septic, set against, severe, sharp, sore, spiteful, splenetic, splitting, stabbing, stewing, stinging, strident, stringent, tart, tough, toxic, toxicant, toxiferous, trenchant, unconscionable, unfriendly, unhealthy, unwholesome, vehement, venenate, veneniferous, venenous, venomous, vicious, violent, vitriolic