VIRULENCE Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

virulence

noun

ˈvir-ə-lən(t)s

Definition of virulence next

as in severity

biting sharpness of feeling or expression I was surprised by the virulence of the criticism

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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 virulence Donald Trump’s back-to-back tirades this week against Somali immigrants in Minnesota, many of whom are U.S. citizens, brought into the open the kind of virulence that, during his first term, the President mostly tried to keep behind closed doors. —

Cristian Farias, New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2025 One Pasteurella-like microbe carried genetic hints of virulence and has ties to deadly outbreaks in modern African elephants. —

Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 30 Sep. 2025 While VUMs require more testing to establish their true risks to public health, VOIs are explicitly confirmed to have genetic changes that affect virus characteristics like transmissibility and virulence. —

Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 9 June 2025 Despite that virulence, some forms of plague did ultimately die out. —

Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 29 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for virulence

Recent Examples of Synonyms for virulence

Noun

Anthropic’s researchers say Mythos Preview was able to detect thousands of high- and critical-severity bugs and software defects, with vulnerabilities identified in most major operating systems and web browsers.

— Kevin Collier, NBC news, 8 Apr. 2026
The report also found that traffic signal changes put in place in 2020 had little impact on crash frequency or severity, the city said, and that crash trends on Randall Road remain generally consistent with historical averages.

— Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026