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

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

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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

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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

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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 The destruction of the Iraqi state helped create a vacuum in which violent extremism evolved and flourished. — Ayman M. Mohyeldin, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026 The Miami Police Department’s policy, for example, prohibits pursuits for anyone who isn’t a violent felony offender. — Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026 The film follows a young finance professional whose life is turned upside down by a violent assault. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026 The violent protests, which erupted in South Africa earlier this year, have forced thousands of migrants to leave and caused diplomatic tensions with other African nations. — ABC News, 11 Sep. 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
  • Giamatti makes Jerry ferocious but not monstruous, a man who certainly likes barking orders at various underlings but loves making good theater even more.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Up to this point, Ghostface victims have been stabbed with Buck 120 hunting knives, crushed by garage doors, shot, electrocuted, and thrown off rooftops in ferocious, balls-to-the-wall Scream fashion.
    — Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of ferocious
Adjective
  • Broadly, the rule of thumb is to drink it during periods of intense competition (to allow for muscle recovery) while avoiding it during periods of training (to promote muscle development).
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Expect Missouri to come out sharper and fired up, as both teams will be for this intense rivalry.
    — PJ Green September 8, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of intense
Adjective
  • Fulham’s current rest-defence shape leads to frantic back-tracking defending, while the opposition can pull the centre-back partnership across the pitch with passes in behind and switches into the channels.
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Booth was in Toronto with his wife to attend an international convention for the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) when delegates from New York suddenly received frantic calls and left the meeting.
    — Kaanita Iyer, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of frantic
Adjective
  • Andersen in particular has struggled with such an aggressive role, where recovery pace and stomping channel defending are required to keep the shape.
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Brown has two catches that converted third downs into firsts, providing a release valve against some aggressive Seahawks blitzes.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of aggressive
Adjective
  • His re-election came on the back of a turbulent few years, ones where Barca’s finances were as much a story as their football.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The new play follows the fortunes of a wealthy but troubled clan through a turbulent period in Nigeria’s recent history.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of turbulent
Adjective
  • The result should be better performance at the chip's limits, for graphics-intensive apps and games, and for extended multitasking.
    — Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Researchers can use it to run complex simulations, analyze large datasets, and develop compute-intensive AI applications.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of intensive
Adjective
  • The Lindsay Clancy trial has captivated the nation, spurring furious online debate on the state of maternal healthcare and whether she should be held criminally responsible for killing her three children.
    — Yasmin Vossoughian, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Simply put, the SEC is furious that LSU has challenged the conference’s attempts to enforce its eligibility rules for athletes returning from professional sports.
    — Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of furious
Adjective
  • Those kinds of vigorous debates have been going on from the moment the crowd spilled out of the Herzog into the Telluride night air.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Each session was 60 minutes, with the actual exercise portion of the session done in about 20 minutes, with participants cycling hard and fast enough to get their heart rate into the moderate and vigorous zone.
    — Michelle Marchante September 4, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of vigorous

Browse Nearby Words

violence
violent
violently
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Cite this Entry

“Violent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/violent. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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