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 Jamal has a flashback to the violent riots in the city of Mumbai after the destruction of the Babri Masjid. — Sohini Sarah Pillai, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026 Selma Blair has been charged with second-degree assault after being arrested following a violent incident on a Delta flight on Sunday, according to Queens Criminal Court. — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026 Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined student protesters in France on Tuesday after weeks of violent confrontations with police, thousands of arrests and widespread school closures over demands for education reform. — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026 Advocates for criminal reform have long pointed out that a small portion of the population on electronic monitoring or pretrial release go on to commit violent offenses. — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 13 Oct. 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
  • In the Atlantic, not a single hurricane has formed yet, a record for this late into hurricane season, due to ferocious wind shear brought on by El Niño.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • When the Heat acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo in June, the natural instinct was to focus on the prodigious point production (57th all time), the volume rebounding (71st all time), the thunderous dunks and the ferocious forays to the basket.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of ferocious
Adjective
  • Pike committed the crime over an intense romantic jealousy of Slemmer, who allegedly attempted to steal her boyfriend’s attention.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Carnegie Hall seats well over 3,000 people, but this intense, no-frills performance film gives life to the old saying about feeling alone in a crowd.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of intense
Adjective
  • Chanel doesn’t take pre-orders, so collection launches are typically frantic, as clients swoop down on previews to secure the best pieces.
    — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026
  • With its silly oversized thumbs and frantic shaking needed to escape pins, this mini-game is one example of how a game like Nintendo Switch Sports Resort could make some older gamers feel self-conscious.
    — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of frantic
Adjective
  • While Chelsea tend to retreat after taking the lead, their opponents also become more aggressive in response, committing extra bodies forward and helping to create more open, end-to-end encounters.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The acquisition comes after the distributor’s founder and then-CEO, Andrew Karpen, died from an aggressive form of brain cancer at the age of 59 in May 2025.
    — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of aggressive
Adjective
  • The escalation comes at an increasingly turbulent time for the Middle East’s aviation sector.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Since Pollock was a turbulent man, living with him was never very calm.
    — Barbara Rose, Vogue, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of turbulent
Adjective
  • Atrium is also offering day hospital programs in which patients receive intensive treatment and return home at night.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Because schools would otherwise use that money to buy equipment, the proposal would most affect two-year technical schools with equipment-intensive programs like welding or automotive programs.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of intensive
Adjective
  • In an early scene, Misty is jolted awake by the man’s furious widow, Celine (Amy Landecker), who has just discovered the apartment on her husband’s ledgers and is intent on kicking out his mistress.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The fourth disc has the Attractions playing these songs live, after the album was out, in increasingly furious fashion.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of furious
Adjective
  • The legendary French fashion house was making a second issue of its surprisingly vigorous, thick-stock glossy art magazine.
    — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Brisk walking, light cycling, doubles tennis and household chores such as vacuuming, mopping and mowing the lawn were categorized as moderate activity; vigorous activity included jogging, fast cycling, singles tennis and aerobics.
    — Jennifer Fields, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 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 16 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zenith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
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
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All