as in severity
biting sharpness of feeling or expression
I was surprised by the virulence of the criticism
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
The diminished virulence that the pathogen evolved in response to more of its hosts dying potentially caused these earlier plague pandemics to fizzle out.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for virulence
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
The diminished virulence that the pathogen evolved in response to more of its hosts dying potentially caused these earlier plague pandemics to fizzle out.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for virulence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for virulence
Noun
-
Prosecutors in the case recommended the death penalty as punishment for Yoon, given the severity of his crimes.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Feb. 2026
-
The severity of this person's injuries was not known.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Anger over the bloodshed now adds to the bitterness over the economy, which has been hollowed out by decades of sanctions, corruption and mismanagement.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The bright fragrant baking spice from Angostura Bitters is replaced with the deep earth of the Cynar whose bitterness brings a constant low hum, like engine noise on an airplane.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Their teenage daughter Josie meets Laura with hostility, while her son Felix remains distant.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Less inviting and contemplative than aggressive and giddy, its priority isn’t to ask the audience to step outside their own perspective and examine how their behavior may contribute to similar hostilities.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Colt Gray, now 16, has been indicted on 55 felony counts, including four counts of malice murder, according to court documents.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Nevermind that this is obviously the work of someone acting deliberately, stealthily and with obvious malice – not a drunk stumbling into their homes.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The compounds that cause the bitterness in the plant stimulate the production and flow of bile from the liver and gallbladder.—
Cory Martin,
Verywell Health,
9 Feb. 2026
-
That’s a police state, and that’s pure authoritarian bile.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The virulency of Covid-19 trained even those of us who shop locally out of principal to purchase online.—
Marc Peruzzi,
Outside Online,
2 Mar. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Virulence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/virulence. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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