violent
adjective
vi·o·lent
ˈvī-ə-lənt 
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
violently
adverb
Synonyms
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 on the Web
But while police say crime is down in West 7th, analysis by criminal justice experts and the Star-Telegram’s reporting on the issue — as well as the presentation’s own data for the most violent crime of all — suggest that the area is not as relatively safe as Alldredge intended to convey.
—
Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Apr. 2024
Courts and crime The suspect in a break-in at Mayor Bass’ home was previously convicted of violent assault.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2024
Last week, the country’s social media regulator ordered Musk’s platform to remove content showing a violent attack on an Australian church.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune Asia, 23 Apr. 2024
Albanese said on Monday that social media posts, misinformation and dissemination of violent images had exacerbated suffering from the church attack, which the two clerics survived, as well as a knife attack at a Sydney shopping mall two days earlier that killed six people.
—Rod McGuirk, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024
And while many of these discussions that take place may not be so dangerous, researchers say there can be something very dangerous about normalizing violent urges.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2024
Crimes reported on Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority properties have increased by 65% since 2020 and average monthly violent crimes on MTA properties rose more than 15% between March 2023 and February 2024, according to LAPD data compiled by ABC News.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 22 Apr. 2024
The program operated under the concept that a small group of individuals are responsible for most violent crimes.
—Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2024
Nica is naive and innocent and Rigel – who was her nemesis at the abusive orphanage – is a violent bully.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 22 Apr. 2024
Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Apr. 2024
Courts and crime The suspect in a break-in at Mayor Bass’ home was previously convicted of violent assault.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2024
Last week, the country’s social media regulator ordered Musk’s platform to remove content showing a violent attack on an Australian church.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune Asia, 23 Apr. 2024
Albanese said on Monday that social media posts, misinformation and dissemination of violent images had exacerbated suffering from the church attack, which the two clerics survived, as well as a knife attack at a Sydney shopping mall two days earlier that killed six people.
—Rod McGuirk, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024
And while many of these discussions that take place may not be so dangerous, researchers say there can be something very dangerous about normalizing violent urges.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2024
Crimes reported on Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority properties have increased by 65% since 2020 and average monthly violent crimes on MTA properties rose more than 15% between March 2023 and February 2024, according to LAPD data compiled by ABC News.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 22 Apr. 2024
The program operated under the concept that a small group of individuals are responsible for most violent crimes.
—Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2024
Nica is naive and innocent and Rigel – who was her nemesis at the abusive orphanage – is a violent bully.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 22 Apr. 2024
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.
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Cite this Entry
“Violent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/violent. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
violent
adjective
vi·o·lent
ˈvī-ə-lənt
1
: marked by great force or sudden activity
a violent attack of coughing
violent storms
2
a
: especially furious or emotional
a violent denial of guilt
b
: intense sense 1
violent pain
3
: caused by force
a violent death
4
a
: acting with or characterized by harmful physical force : exercising or marked by violence
a violent person
violent actions
b
: having a tendency to carry out acts of violence
violent prison inmates
violently
adverb
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