Definition of vehement
: marked by forceful energy : powerful a vehement wind: such asa : intensely emotional : impassioned, fervid vehement patriotismb (1) : deeply felt a vehement suspicion (2) : forcibly expressed vehement denunciationsc : bitterly antagonistic a vehement debate
vehemently
adverbRead the Latest from M-W
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 of vehement from the Web
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The request has drawn vehement criticism from the political opposition, which says such an approach equates foreigners with threats.
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Tom Price, a forceful voice for expanding religious liberty and a vehement opponent of the Obamacare contraception mandates, was tapped last week to become secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
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But while Duterte’s vehement rhetoric is unprecedented, his presidency doesn’t mark the first time Filipinos have sought distance from the United States.
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Ben Shapiro, a conservative writer and vehement opponent of Trump, is the victim of more anti-Semitic harassment than any other journalist on Twitter, according to the A.D.L. report.
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Although his satirical cartoons have been published online, Mr. Gawish was not seen as an especially vehement critic of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
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Rafael Palmeiro: Remember the vehement denial Raffy issued to Congress about taking steroids?
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vehement'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of vehement
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 ◆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).
VEHEMENT Defined for English Language Learners
vehement
playDefinition of vehement for English Language Learners
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: showing strong and often angry feelings : very emotional
VEHEMENT Defined for Kids
vehement
playDefinition of vehement for Students
1 : showing great force or energy a vehement wind
2 : highly emotional vehement patriotism
3 : expressed with force a vehement denial
vehemently
adverbLearn More about vehement
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for vehement Spanish Central: Translation of vehement Nglish: Translation of vehement for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of vehement for Arabic speakers
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