Synonyms of violence

violence

noun

ˈvī-lən(t)s 

1

as in brutality

the use of brute strength to cause harm to a person or property

an act of violence caused the window to be shattered

Synonyms & Similar Words

• brutality
• injury
• assault
• terror
• force
• compulsion
• attack
• foul play
• riot
• outrage
• coercion
• savagery
• pressure
• barbarity
• battery
• damage
• harm
• fury
• mayhem
• threat
• rage
• mutilation
• revolt
• impairment
• duress
• turbulence
• shock
• hurt
• bullying
• upheaval
• maiming
• constraint
• whaling
• crippling
• beating
• detriment
• outbreak
• rampage
• onslaught
• whipping
• frenzy
• clubbing
• rupture
• thrashing
• mauling
• tumult
• bashing
• battering
• pounding
• smashing
• pummeling
• paroxysm
• flogging
• buffeting
• thumping
• hammering
• paddling
• drubbing
• licking
• pelting
• belting
• bludgeoning
• uproar
• batting
• bulldozing
• lacing
• cudgeling
• storm
• browbeating
• walloping
• pommeling
• hectoring
• tromping
• strong-arming
• socking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• nonviolence
• pacifism
• pacificism

2

as in intensity

the quality or state of being forceful (as in expression)

taken aback by the violence of her denial of any wrongdoing

Synonyms & Similar Words

• intensity
• intenseness
• aggressiveness
• emphasis
• assertiveness
• vigorousness
• forcefulness
• vehemence
• fierceness
• strength
• power
• warmth
• potency
• eloquence
• insistence
• fervor
• fervency
• stridency
• passion
• directness
• ardor
• vociferousness
• vividness
• ardency
• incisiveness
• incision
• fervidness
• plainness
• absoluteness
• straightforwardness
• clearness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• weakness
• ambiguity
• feebleness
• mildness
• subtlety
• lightness
• delicacy
• equivocation

3

as in emotion

depth of feeling

some people were taken aback by the violence with which the magazine's art critic attacked the exhibition

Synonyms & Similar Words

• intensity
• emotion
• enthusiasm
• intenseness
• warmth
• passionateness
• passion
• heat
• fire
• fervor
• white heat
• vehemence
• fervency
• zeal
• excitement
• tenderness
• ardor
• compassion
• ardency
• fervidness
• sentimentality
• responsiveness
• sympathy
• emotionalism
• melodrama
• emotionality
• histrionics
• fanaticism
• cathexis
• obsession
• earnestness
• infatuation
• fever
• eagerness
• mawkishness
• sentiment
• zest
• mania
• gusto
• sappiness
• hot-bloodedness
• keenness
• torridness
• torridity

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• insensitivity
• impassivity
• insensitiveness
• insensibility
• impassiveness
• dryness
• indifference
• reticence
• apathy
• calmness
• aloofness
• composure
• phlegm
• reserve
• taciturnity
• stoicism
• stiffness
• unconcern
• stoniness
• insensibleness
• detachedness
• collectedness
• coldness
• reservedness
• coolness
• frigidity
• chilliness
• woodenness
• frigidness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of violence

When a society falls under the pressure of violence and fear, gender roles are challenged, narrowed, and reshaped. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2026

After a 2024 surge in violence against bus drivers and on trains coincided with a significant drop in ridership, safety became a top priority for Metro leaders. — Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026

Latinos have been not only frequent targets of nativism and xenophobic violence but also supporters — regularly enforcers — of it. — Eladio Bobadilla, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026

The jail, which houses alleged CEO-killer Luigi Mangione and ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, is notorious for its dire conditions and violence — including two stabbing murders in the summer of 2024. — John Annese, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026