violent

adjective

vi·o·lent ˈvī-ə-lənt

Synonyms of violent next

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

: extremely powerful or forceful and capable of causing damage

violent storms

violent coughing

: caused by physical force or violence : not natural

a violent death

: emotionally agitated to the point of using harmful physical force

became violent after an insult

: prone to commit acts of violence

violent prison inmates

: notably forceful, furious, or vehement

a violent argument

a violent denunciation

: extreme, intense

violent pain

violent colors

violently adverb

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. See More

Recent Examples on the Web Quarterback Matthew Stafford, who shook off a violent hit and engineered two late scoring drives against the Seahawks, is still playing through a right thumb injury. —

Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2023 The new complaint from an anonymous accuser alleges Combs and singer-songwriter Aaron Hall took turns raping the plaintiff and her friend in 1990 or 1991 – and that Diddy turned violent during a rage days later. —

Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2023 The videos show massive crowds assembled at the Capitol, and mobs committing violent acts and assaulting the police. —

Angelo Fichera, New York Times, 23 Nov. 2023 The gunman who opened fire at Ohio Walmart this week, injuring four people, may have been at least partly inspired by violent, racist ideology, the FBI said Wednesday. —

Phil Helsel, NBC News, 23 Nov. 2023 The Wednesday incident comes as D.C. grapples with rising violent crime, which is up 40 percent compared with the same period last year. —

Emily Davies, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023 In 2021, the South Korean drama — created, written and directed by auteur Hwang Dong-hyuk — became a surprise global sensation with a grim and violent allegory of capitalism exploiting the desperate many for the enjoyment of a wealthy few. —

Alison Herman, Variety, 22 Nov. 2023 These Latin rock legends are part of a homegrown Argentinian style known as Rock Nacional, forged during one of the most violent military dictatorships of the late 20th century. —

Matthew Dursum, SPIN, 20 Nov. 2023 Transgender people are over four times more likely than cisgender people to be victims of violent crime, according to a study by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law. —

Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 20 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'violent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.