vehemence

noun

ve·he·mence ˈvē-ə-mən(t)s

Synonyms of vehemence next

: the quality or state of being vehement : intensity

Example Sentences

the vehemence in her voice when she insisted that she never gossiped surprised me every cause that she pursues is pursued with great vehemence

Recent Examples on the Web Vengeance means fighting back with vehemence. —

Jack Birle, Washington Examiner, 31 Mar. 2023 The season began with 22 equine racing and training fatalities in a three-month period at Santa Anita Park in California, one of the premier tracks in the country, inspiring activist groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to descend upon the issue with vehemence. —

Smithsonian Magazine, 10 May 2020 But Pelosi’s visit and the vehemence of Beijing’s response to it have strained the already tense triangle between Taiwan, China, and the U.S to its most precarious point in decades—threatening Taiwanese corporations’ ability to keep out of the crossfire. —

Grady Mcgregor, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2022 But the vehemence of their opponents, in highly vaccinated Cambridge, took me by surprise. —

Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2021 Yes, the subtext of their argument (and the reason for Alma’s vehemence) is the mother’s desperate anxiety over her precarious position and her worries about her daughter’s future. —

Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Feb. 2023 Despite Pompeo’s vehemence, there was a conspicuous lack of media interest in his next moves against Assange. —

Andrew Cockburn, Harper’s Magazine , 10 Feb. 2023 But is he covered with more disdain and vehemence than someone like Brett Favre, who is accused of committing crimes against vulnerable people? —

Damon Young, Washington Post, 29 Nov. 2022 Some scholars believe violence and vehemence may share a common Latin origin, a lost participle of the verb vehere, to carry. —

Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 31 Mar. 2016 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vehemence.' 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

Middle English vemance, vehemens, borrowed from Middle French vehemence, borrowed from Latin vehementia "violent movement, intensity," from vehement-, vehemens "violent, vehement" + -ia -ia entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of vehemence was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century