violent

adjective

ˈvī-ə-lənt How to pronounce violent (audio)
Definition of violentnext
1
as in ferocious
marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity a violent explosion that left several buildings seriously damaged

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect a violent thunderstorm

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in frantic
marked by great and often stressful excitement or activity our guest's imminent arrival provoked a violent effort to get the place cleaned up

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in aggressive
marked by or uttered with forcefulness prone to violent denunciation of anyone who disagrees with her violent brushstrokes that were a trademark of the abstract artist

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 violent Influenced by a sinister Cricket (Englund) and created by Geppetto (Brake), Pinocchio launches a violent crusade to carve himself into a real boy like his brother James, one piece at a time. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 24 July 2026 The popular recreation site has seen several recent violent incidents. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026 But others said Kentuckians knew that equal custody meant their children could be alone with a violent partner and chose to stay in relationships to keep their kids safer. — Idaho Statesman, 23 July 2026 The report also found that violent crimes were becoming less deadly, with the share of serious violent offenses resulting in death falling 23%. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 23 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for violent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for violent
  1. ferocious
  2. intense
  3. frantic
  4. aggressive
  5. turbulent
  6. intensive
  7. furious
  8. vigorous
Adjective
  • Calm on the ball, Rodri is a ferocious monster off it, hoovering up second balls with his sharp anticipation and brushing opponents aside in duels with his imposing physicality.
    — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • Adult ladybugs are most known for eating aphids, but the various species are ferocious hunters of varied prey.
    — Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2026
Definition of ferocious
Adjective
  • His plan, scheduled for a vote at the Beach commission on Wednesday after two years of often-intense debate and revision, comes in the prosaic form of a technical zoning change.
    — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
  • Criticism from the political left was, predictably, swift and intense.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of intense
Adjective
  • Kurfürstendamm is just steps away, as is the Tiergarten, yet the neighborhood never feels frantic.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 July 2026
  • Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa also scored as England raced to a 4-0 halftime lead before surviving a frantic second half to secure the nation’s best World Cup finish since winning the title in 1966.
    — Mark Hodge, NBC news, 20 July 2026
Definition of frantic
Adjective
  • And this sort of confrontation has become more common in recent years as Beijing has taken a more aggressive stance.
    — Ivan Watson, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
  • By balancing strict fiscal management with an aggressive plan to diversify support and expand with new donors, the organization aims to ensure long-term stability while continuing to deliver high-quality artistic programming to Charlotte.
    — Catherine Muccigrosso July 24, Charlotte Observer, 24 July 2026
Definition of aggressive
Adjective
  • In relation to this turbulent time, Venice has never shied away from showing difficult films.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 23 July 2026
  • Yoshida inherited the program during one of the most turbulent periods in college athletics.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of turbulent
Adjective
  • Hope Lodge | Sutherland, Scotland Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen opened this lodge as part of his intensive, extensive investments into his adoptive home of Scotland, which he’s dubbed Wildland.
    — Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 23 July 2026
  • But Kenneth Corey, who spent more than three decades at the New York City Police Department, says more intensive vetting, such as mandatory psychological evaluations, is becoming more common.
    — Meg Anderson, NPR, 23 July 2026
Definition of intensive
Adjective
  • Additional sources recently told the National Examiner that William is furious about Harry and Meghan’s reported desire to collaborate with Netflix on the documentary.
    — Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 18 July 2026
  • Nolan doesn’t exactly share his hero’s reticence; one of his signature tactics as a writer is to place blocky, boldface ideas in furious opposition.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
Definition of furious
Adjective
  • Since the sugar is not normally found in blood, some people’s immune systems recognize it as foreign and mount a vigorous defense to eliminate it by producing antibodies to alpha gal.
    — Alice Park, Time, 23 July 2026
  • The Harvard Health guidance is specific — avoid vigorous activity in the hour before bed.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson July 23, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026
Definition of vigorous

Browse Nearby Words

violence
violent
violently
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Violent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/violent. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on violent

Nglish: Translation of violent 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 aerie

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

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

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

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
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All