vehement

adjective

ˈvē-ə-mənt How to pronounce vehement (audio)
Definition of vehementnext
1
as in emphatic
marked by or uttered with forcefulness vehement complaints about the restaurant's poor service

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect despite the vehement opposition of the club's treasurer, the motion was passed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in passionate
having or expressing great depth of feeling a vehement defender of the rights of minorities

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of vehement That proposal was met with vehement opposition from residents of the Panther Heights neighborhood. — Samuel O’Neal 8, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2026 The House vote in part was the GOP laying down a marker underlining their vehement opposition to the homeschooling bill. — Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026 The vehement desire for vengeance grows within the population as well, and hopes of a just future for Iran dwindle. — Jason Rezaian, New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2026 Inches from Okananwa’s face, Frese delivered a vehement oratory to the junior. — Devon Henderson, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for vehement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vehement
  1. emphatic
  2. intense
  3. passionate
  4. vigorous
  5. intensive
  6. fervent
  7. aggressive
  8. fierce
Adjective
  • Switzerland topped Group B ahead of co-host Canada after beating Les Rouges 2-1 in its final group game, which came after an emphatic 4-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina and a 1-1 draw against Qatar in its opener.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
  • Mbappe broke the deadlock in the 45th minute, and Olise got two delightful assists with through balls for Mbappe and Barcola to finish in an emphatic second-half display.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of emphatic
Adjective
  • During periods of intense rainfall, the risk of flooding increases, particularly in low-lying and flood-prone areas.
    — NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 8 July 2026
  • Treating fear and anxiety in dogs doesn’t always require a bigger yard or a more intense exercise routine.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 July 2026
Definition of intense
Adjective
  • Despite the full lineup and passionate patriotic crowd in Seattle, Team USA looked uncomfortable from the start, fell behind early, made sloppy mistakes and could not keep up with the Belgians, who move on to face Spain in the quarterfinals.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 7 July 2026
  • Mexico’s passionate fans blasted horns outside the England hotel to disrupt players’ sleep, and the start of the match was delayed an hour because of a thunderstorm.
    — Carlos Rodriguez, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2026
Definition of passionate
Adjective
  • Lettuce and other leafy foods with multiple layers pose a higher risk of contamination, but with a vigorous wash and peeling the outer layers, even the greens can be saved.
    — Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes.
    — Mary Ella Hastings July 8, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 July 2026
Definition of vigorous
Adjective
  • But that is labor intensive, and when a fire burns thousands of acres, the time and cost involved can be too high.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • Built for expansion Aurora was used to perform the computationally intensive quantum chemistry simulations integrated into ChemGraph, while the ALCF Inference Service provided access to open-weight language models hosted on Argonne systems.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 July 2026
Definition of intensive
Adjective
  • England versus Mexico was an all-time epic played in one of sports’ most fervent atmospheres at the iconic Estadio Azteca.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • These 15 mountain towns in California offer contemporary amenities amid the beautiful landscapes that inspired one of nature’s most fervent champions.
    — Chelsee Lowe, Travel + Leisure, 1 July 2026
Definition of fervent
Adjective
  • Jones more aggressive Jones’ three appearances in the California Classic were defined by a passive way of playing.
    — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 10 July 2026
  • Your dog is reactive or aggressive around other animals or strangers.
    — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 9 July 2026
Definition of aggressive
Adjective
  • Its young people are increasingly educated and ambitious but many are frustrated over fierce competition for limited jobs.
    — Ayushi Shah, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
  • The Pride and Angel City have established a fierce rivalry in their short history.
    — Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 July 2026
Definition of fierce

Browse Nearby Words

vehemence
vehement
vehemently
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Vehement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vehement. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on vehement

Nglish: Translation of vehement for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fulcrum

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All