vehement

adjective

ve·​he·​ment ˈvē-ə-mənt How to pronounce vehement (audio)
: marked by forceful energy : powerful
a vehement wind
: such as
a
: intensely emotional : impassioned, fervid
vehement patriotism
b(1)
: deeply felt
a vehement suspicion
(2)
: forcibly expressed
vehement denunciations
c
: bitterly antagonistic
a vehement debate
vehemently adverb

Examples of vehement in a Sentence

Cranes rise above the old rooftops, adding new office towers and new condominiums and new malls to a city where Jonathan Swift once issued his vehement bulletins. Pete Hamill, Gourmet, April 2007
As they shouted and mocked, I wondered how they could have developed such intense, vehement hatred toward people with whom they had had no previous contact. Todd Hechtman, The News/Sun-Sentinel, 1 Feb. 1987
He cursed himself like a less scrupulous Job, as a vehement man will do when he loses self-respect, the last mental prop under poverty. Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge, 1886
Both the ladies indulged in vehement screaming for several minutes; and Mr. Cymon Tuggs, besides sustaining intense bodily pain, had the additional mental anguish of witnessing their distressing situation, without having the power to rescue them, by reason of his leg being firmly screwed in between the animal and the wall. Charles Dickens, Sketches by "Boz", 1836
He issued a vehement denial of the accusation. The proposal has faced vehement opposition from many teachers. She was vehement about the need for new safety measures.
Recent Examples on the Web But the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran, negotiated in 2015 over AIPAC’s vehement opposition, led the group to begin taking a different approach, as did the growing prominence of a new generation of Democratic progressives who were not as reflexively loyal to Israel. Kenneth P. Vogel, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Tesla’s Elon Musk has been vehement in his dismissal of the need for lidar and has now even removed radars from US market models. Steve Dasilva / Jalopnik, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024 Kodiak Protein-Packed Brownie Score: 16 This whole-grain, high-protein brand got a universal and vehement thumbs-down from our panel. Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2024 Especially vehement was Henry Wallace, who had been elected vice president in 1940 and now hoped for the second place on the Democratic ticket in Roosevelt’s next term. Amity Shlaes, National Review, 1 Feb. 2024 The book incited a vehement debate about Myerson’s adequacy as a mother that seized British media. Naomi Huffman, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2024 In the face of vehement protests, the museum’s renovation attempts failed in 2014 and 2015 before the proposal by Selldorf Architects was finally approved in 2018. Robin Pogrebin, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2024 Every major international event, beginning with the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, has triggered vehement activism and stoked controversy. Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2024 The agreement, announced jointly by Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), will almost surely face vehement opposition from far-right House Republicans, who had hoped to force steep budget cuts. Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vehement.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French, going back to Old French, borrowed from Latin vehement-, vehemens, vēmens "violent, vigorous, (of feelings) overmastering, powerful," perhaps from vehere "to convey, carry along, drive" + -mens, adjective suffix (as in clēmens "mild, calm") of uncertain origin

Note: Alternatively explained as a prefix vē- "faulty, excessive or deficient" and ment-, mens "mind," in which case -ehe- is an unetymological spelling of the long vowel. Though this would account for vehemens in place of *vehimens (with normal vowel weakening), the word never has the sense "mentally deranged" (the meanings of the presumed parallel formations vēcors and vēsānus).

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of vehement was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near vehement

Cite this Entry

“Vehement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vehement. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

vehement

adjective
ve·​he·​ment ˈvē-ə-mənt How to pronounce vehement (audio)
1
: showing great force or energy
a vehement wind
2
: highly emotional
vehement patriotism
3
: forcibly expressed
vehement denials
vehemently adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on vehement

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