as in male
of, relating to, or marked by qualities traditionally associated with men
men were once expected to be interested only in such virile activities as hunting
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Recent Examples of virile
During his campaign for reelection in 2024, Trump, who turns 79 in June, sold digital trading cards that featured virile depictions of himself as a cowboy, superhero and astronaut, among other images.
—
Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 24 Mar. 2025
In The Empire’s frame, residents of a coastal village in northern France — gruff, virile fisherman Jony (Brandon Vlieghe) and teenage tease Line (Lyna Khoudri) — reveal their oddball allegiance to extraterrestrial invaders.
—Armond White, National Review, 14 Mar. 2025
The Victorians, perhaps sensing that Britain’s empire could not stay young and virile forever, took this Romantic dread and ran with it.
—Matthew Redmond, The Conversation, 9 Jan. 2025
New cassette players are being manufactured and competition is virile, musicians are releasing more and more records on the format and Amazon is selling old cassettes like a bumper crop.
—Spin Team, SPIN, 28 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for virile
Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 24 Mar. 2025
In The Empire’s frame, residents of a coastal village in northern France — gruff, virile fisherman Jony (Brandon Vlieghe) and teenage tease Line (Lyna Khoudri) — reveal their oddball allegiance to extraterrestrial invaders.
—Armond White, National Review, 14 Mar. 2025
The Victorians, perhaps sensing that Britain’s empire could not stay young and virile forever, took this Romantic dread and ran with it.
—Matthew Redmond, The Conversation, 9 Jan. 2025
New cassette players are being manufactured and competition is virile, musicians are releasing more and more records on the format and Amazon is selling old cassettes like a bumper crop.
—Spin Team, SPIN, 28 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for virile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for virile
Adjective
-
Of course, there are male grifters who fail.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
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The financial parity for men’s and women’s basketball marks a departure from Wisconsin’s existing arrangement with Under Armour, dating to 2016, which awarded the women around half the bonus compensation available to their male counterparts.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Instead, Carnahan, who’s made other weighty masculine dramas such as Narc, The Grey, and Copshop, is mostly devoted to exploring how a large sum of money starts breeding suspicion among colleagues.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
21 Jan. 2026
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The nights are packed with about 1,500 people who cheer, dance and sing, spurred on by the positivity of the series that celebrates masculine vulnerability.—
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Virile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/virile. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.
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