vehement
adjective
Synonyms
Examples of vehement in a Sentence
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.
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Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Nov. 2023
Musk previously threatened to pull Tesla’s entire operations out of California in 2020 based on his vehement disagreement with the state’s shelter-in-place orders during the height of the covid pandemic.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 22 Feb. 2023
Other more aggressive models that would have saved Medicare a lot of money hit the grave due to vehement industry opposition.
—Bob Herman Reprints, STAT, 2 Oct. 2023
Putin’s distaste for Pashinyan is evident in the vehement condemnations by his diplomats and state propagandists.
—Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2023
Her vehement demand for joy as an intervention was on full display, on giant glittering screens projecting her every expression and accessory.
—Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, Pitchfork, 26 Sep. 2023
His politics seem to be dominated by his vehement opposition to firearms restrictions — criticizing former Presidents Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Donald J. Trump for passing various gun control measures.
—Ishaan Jhaveri, New York Times, 6 May 2023
The debate over how far companies can go to limit content online — known as moderation — has become increasingly vehement and polarizing.
—Steven Lee Myers, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2023
Her relationship with Patrick relies on trading reconstructions of their childhoods: Marie urges Patrick to confess his true identity, while his recollections depend on vehement denial.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Aug. 2023
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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
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).
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near vehement
Cite this Entry
“Vehement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vehement. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
vehement
adjective
More from Merriam-Webster on vehement
Nglish: Translation of vehement for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of vehement for Arabic Speakers
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