VIOLENTLY Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

violently

adverb

as in sharply

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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 violently Attempts to organize farmworkers were often crushed violently. — Steve Appleford, Rolling Stone, 4 July 2026 Taylor and Mortensen have been engaged in a contentious, high-profile legal battle after a pair of investigations were launched by Utah police departments in February into allegations that each acted violently during altercations that month. — Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026 King was photographed wearing lei about two weeks after the event known as Bloody Sunday when state troopers violently attacked Civil Rights marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma on March 7, 1965. — ABC News, 30 June 2026 Hours later, when twin earthquakes struck Venezuela 39 seconds apart, the hotel shook violently, then buckled. — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026 Previously, when an FBI agent used falsified evidence to arrest an anti-ICE protester in New York, threw her violently to the ground, detained her, and initiated her criminal prosecution, no federal law permitted the victim to sue the agent. — Joel B. Rudin, New York Daily News, 28 June 2026 The video showed that during the second time, the dog latched onto Evans’ left forearm and violently thrashed as Evans cried out in pain. — Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 June 2026 In her two-story home, lamps and other objects began swaying violently. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 25 June 2026 The waters of a continent – west from the Rockies and east from the Appalachians – pour into it, sometimes violently, sometimes placidly. — Alfredo Sosa, Christian Science Monitor, 24 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for violently

Adverb

Georgia, after establishing herself as a non-hands-washer last year (and doubling down over and over again), decided to sharply pivot to become a maven of cleanliness.

— Tom Smyth, Vulture, 9 July 2026
Each path promises the same payoff, consistent cold-water immersion for recovery, stress management and mental resilience, but the setup costs, maintenance demands and daily user experience diverge sharply.

— Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 July 2026

Definition of sharply

Adverb

But the coverage is administered by commercial insurance companies, which compete fiercely with one another for the business of about 56 million Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in drug plans.

— Susan Jaffe, NPR, 6 July 2026
Not one belonging to Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy), one of the WSB’s most promising young agents, but her fiercely protective mother, Carly Spencer (Laura Wright).

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 July 2026

Definition of fiercely

Adverb

Roughly half of Democrats believe Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians during the war in Gaza, a charge Israel vehemently denies.

— Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Swift’s attorneys vehemently denied the allegations, and in September 2025, the first case was dismissed, according to Billboard.

— Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026

Definition of vehemently

Adverb

Even 6 inches of swiftly moving water can forcefully knock you off your feet.

— NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026
The Dred Scott decision is said to have inspired Lincoln to speak out forcefully against slavery, run for president, and later lead the nation through a bloody Civil War.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026

Definition of forcefully

Adverb

The International Rescue Committee estimates that there are 118 million people worldwide who have been forcibly displaced this year alone.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 July 2026
Meanwhile, videos also circulate of men on Russian streets being forcibly press-ganged into the army.

— Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

Definition of forcibly

Adverb

Even with global unemployment at historically low levels, fewer than one in four workers strongly believe their job is safe from being eliminated, according to ADP Research.

— Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
The difference between these two measurements gives the exciton binding energy, a key quantity that determines how strongly the electron and hole remain bound together.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 5 July 2026

Definition of strongly

Adverb

There was also a large contingent of Iranian fans who energetically waved the nation’s current flag.

— Todd Harmonson, Oc Register, 16 June 2026
When stewardship of the program passed to my colleagues and me, our responsibility was to expand energetically into a new age of media technology while preserving the values our audience expects.

— Joanna Ossinger,Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 3 June 2026

Definition of energetically

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violent

violently

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“Violently.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/violently. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of violently

adverb

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