violent

adjective vi·o·lent \ ˈvī-ə-lənt \

Updated on: 16 May 2018

Definition of violent

1 a (1) : marked by the use of usually harmful or destructive physical force

a violent attack

violent crime

The peaceful demonstration turned violent.

(2) : showing or including violence

violent movies

b : extremely powerful or forceful and capable of causing damage

violent storms

violent coughing

2 : caused by physical force or violence : not natural

a violent death

3 a : emotionally agitated to the point of using harmful physical force

became violent after an insult

b : prone to commit acts of violence

violent prison inmates

4 a : notably forceful, furious, or vehement

a violent argument

a violent denunciation

b : extreme, intense

violent pain

violent colors

—

violently

adverb

See violent defined for English-language learners

See violent defined for kids

Examples of violent in a Sentence

They witnessed a violent struggle between police and protesters.
The peaceful protest suddenly turned violent.
The city has experienced an increase in violent crime in the past year.
The final scene was extremely violent.
She suffered a violent death in a car accident.
The patient suddenly became violent and had to be restrained.
He's not a particularly violent person.

Recent Examples of violent from the Web

Her parents had no idea that several violent crimes had occurred in the area around campus.

— nanette asimov, San Francisco Chronicle, "State audit finds colleges did not accurately disclose campus-area crimes," 10 May 2018
Flint ranked fifth with a rate of 2,109 violent crimes per 100,000 people.

— hasan dudar, Detroit Free Press, "Report: Detroit, Flint, Saginaw among 10 most dangerous U.S. cities," 8 May 2018
Harsh sentencing laws under scrutiny In the early 1990s, states started enacting tough sentencing laws in response to spiking rates of violent crime.

— megan cassidy, azcentral, "Arizona has a huge prison population. Lawmakers take no action to change that. Why?," 8 May 2018
Longjaw is not the only person judged criminally insane in Oregon who was charged with violent crimes shortly after being released from state control.

— jayme fraser, the malheur enterprise, idahostatesman, "Doctors warned that Oregon killer, rapist would attack again. The state released him. | Idaho Statesman," 6 May 2018
That’s when a violent confrontation between police and student protestors in Paris gave way to a nationwide general strike involving 11 million workers.

— kate keller, Smithsonian, "Fifty Years Later, France Is Still Debating the Legacy of Its 1968 Protests," 4 May 2018
North Korea has repeatedly shifted from bellicose threats and violent confrontations to peaceful gestures.

— jim michaels, USA TODAY, "Trump would not be first president to secure release of American prisoners in North Korea," 3 May 2018
In another stun-gun case, Mr. Claiborne and other lawyers are representing the family of Matthew Ajibade, a mentally ill black man who died after a violent confrontation with Chatham County sheriff’s deputies at a local jail.

— richard fausset, New York Times, "Police’s Shifting Account of Black Man’s Death Raises Questions in Savannah," 28 Apr. 2018
Former Ocean Ridge Vice Mayor Richard Lucibella will stand trial in 10 days on charges connected to a violent confrontation with police in October 2016 at the official’s home.

— marc freeman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Guns and alcohol: Ex vice mayor of Ocean Ridge turns down plea deals, heading to trial in shooting incident," 20 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'violent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of violent

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin violentus; akin to Latin vis strength — more at vim

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First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

See Words from the same year

violent Synonyms

VIOLENT Defined for English Language Learners

violent

adjective

Definition of violent for English Language Learners

: using or involving the use of physical force to cause harm or damage to someone or something : showing violence
: caused by physical force or violence
: trying to physically attack someone because of anger