do violence to

phrase

: to harm or weaken (something) : to make (something) less effective
They want to make a movie from the book without doing violence to the simplicity of the original story.

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Cite this Entry

“Do violence to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/do%20violence%20to. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.

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