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
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Peggy isn’t panicked by her son’s alpha-male predilections.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
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The description of the male suspect took her by surprise.—
Gabriela Vidal,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Their film explores the vulnerability of the trans-masculine community by delving into Bean and Rozos’ own personal experiences, intertwined with the delights, challenges, and tragedy within Brockington and Prescott’s lives.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
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And while today’s innovation is cutting-edge, the majority of today’s humanoids are militant, aggressively masculine, and plain creepy-looking.—
Grace Brown,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Virile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/virile. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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