virile

adjective vir·ile \ ˈvir-əl , ˈvir-ˌī(-ə)l , British also ˈvī(-ə)r-ˌī(-ə)l \

Definition of virile

1 a :having traditionally masculine traits especially to a marked degree

b :characteristic of or associated with men :masculine

2 :having the nature, properties, or qualities of an adult male; specifically :capable of functioning as a male in copulation

3 :energetic, vigorous

4 :masterful, forceful

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virilely

adverb

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Examples of virile in a Sentence

men were once expected to be interested only in such virile activities as hunting

Recent Examples of virile from the Web

While virile Martin conformed to the Hollywood template of leading man, nebbishy Lewis was not an easy fit.

— carrie rickey, Philly.com, "Jerry Lewis, America's funnyman, dies at 91," 20 Aug. 2017
Next to him, Priebus seems to be an older model of the same White House official, looking back at his younger, more virile self.

— ryu spaeth, New Republic, "Anthony Scaramucci: Harder, Better, Faster, Crazier.," 28 July 2017
Their days are spent chafing at monastic routine until Father Tommasso (Reilly) brings on new hired hand Massetto (Franco), a virile young servant forced into hiding by his angry lord.

— jeff baena, Detroit Free Press, "‘Little Hours’ is a sex romp featuring medieval nuns," 21 July 2017
The WRX and its more virile alter-ego the WRX STI receive a few updates for 2018.

— mark maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2018 Subaru WRX: Good times on bad road," 30 June 2017
Either these weren’t the most virile lambs or Cattlemen’s was heavily battering only tiny shards of lamb family jewels to goose the profitability of the $9.95 appetizer.

— andy staples, SI.com, "Where to eat, drink in Oklahoma City," 30 June 2017
Nick Morton (Tom Cruise), the dashing hero of Alex Kurtzman’s preposterous extravaganza The Mummy, is a virile fortune hunter, the kind of roustabout who shoots first, asks questions later, and always gets the girl.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "The Mummy Is a Monstrous Flop," 8 June 2017
Hard bop, in all its virile glory, has a hold on Davis, a supremely adept trombonist for whom the idiom is now as natural as his heartbeat.

— steve davis, The New Yorker, "Steve Davis," 5 June 2017
The young, virile Jack and his radiant wife Jacqueline embodied the American dream and the hopes of a nation.

— miriam velasquez, Orange County Register, "Remembering JFK on 100th anniversary of his birth," 28 May 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of virile

Middle French or Latin; Middle French viril, from Latin virilis, from vir man, male; akin to Old English & Old High German wer man, Sanskrit vīra

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First Known Use: 15th century

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