violence

1 the use of brute strength to cause harm to a person or property the police believe that the woman died of natural causes rather than as a result of violence Synonyms force, foul play Related Words coercion, compulsion, constraint, duress, pressure; barbarity, brutality, savagery; damage, detriment, harm, hurt, impairment, injury; crippling, maiming, mayhem, mutilation; assault, attack, bashing, battering, battery, batting, beating, belting, bludgeoning, buffeting, clubbing, cudgeling (or cudgelling), drubbing, flogging, hammering, lacing, licking, mauling, paddling, pelting, pommeling (or pommelling), pounding, pummeling (also pummelling), smashing, socking, thrashing, thumping, tromping, walloping, whaling, whipping; frenzy, fury, onslaught, outbreak, outrage, paroxysm, rage, rampage, revolt, riot, rupture, shock, storm, terror, threat, tumult, turbulence, upheaval, uproar; browbeating, bulldozing, bullying, hectoring, strong-arming Near Antonyms pacificism, pacifism Antonyms nonviolence

2 the quality or state of being forceful (as in expression) taken aback by the violence of her denial of any wrongdoing Synonyms aggressiveness, assertiveness, emphasis, fierceness, forcefulness, intenseness, intensity, vigorousness, vehemenceRelated Words potency, power, strength; eloquence; ardency, ardor, fervency, fervidness, fervor, insistence, passion, warmth; stridency, vociferousness; absoluteness, clearness, directness, incision, incisiveness, plainness, straightforwardness, vividnessNear Antonyms ambiguity, equivocation; delicacy, lightness, subtletyAntonyms feebleness, mildness, weakness

3 depth of feeling some people were taken aback by the violence with which the magazine's art critic attacked the exhibition Synonyms ardency, emotion, enthusiasm, fervency, fervidness, fervor, fire, heat, intenseness, intensity, passion, passionateness, vehemence, ardor, warmth, white heatRelated Words cathexis; emotionalism, emotionality, histrionics, mawkishness, melodrama, sappiness, sentimentality; eagerness, earnestness, excitement, gusto, keenness, zest; fanaticism, fever, hot-bloodedness, infatuation, mania, obsession, zeal; compassion, responsiveness, sentiment, sympathy, tenderness; torridity, torridnessNear Antonyms aloofness, calmness, collectedness, composure, detachedness, dryness, phlegm, reserve, reservedness, reticence, taciturnity; apathy, indifference, stoicism, stoniness, unconcern; stiffness, woodenness; chilliness, coldness, coolness, frigidity, frigidnessAntonyms impassiveness, impassivity, insensibility, insensibleness, insensitiveness, insensitivity