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
In Canada, modest supply management policies keep farmgate and farmer pay prices higher, while disincentivizing the buildout of fast-paced, crowded and large scale production facilities at the heart of avian flu virulence.
—
Errol Schweizer, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
Everything about the movement surprised political observers: its virulence, its magnitude, its provincial origins, its apparent lack of structure and leadership, and its adamant refusal to be co-opted by existing political parties and unions.
—Arthur Goldhammer, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2018
An ePPP is a pathogen that has been modified to enhance its transmissibility and virulence.
—Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
Still others are investigating viruses that attack Bd and eventually might be used to reduce its virulence.
—Martin J. Kernan, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for virulence
Errol Schweizer, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
Everything about the movement surprised political observers: its virulence, its magnitude, its provincial origins, its apparent lack of structure and leadership, and its adamant refusal to be co-opted by existing political parties and unions.
—Arthur Goldhammer, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2018
An ePPP is a pathogen that has been modified to enhance its transmissibility and virulence.
—Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
Still others are investigating viruses that attack Bd and eventually might be used to reduce its virulence.
—Martin J. Kernan, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for virulence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for virulence
Noun
-
How Long Does Recovery From A Groin Strain Take? The recovery period depends on the grade and severity.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
-
When comparing 80-degree Fahrenheit days to days in the 40s, there was a 40 to 45% increase in the frequency or severity of sleep apnea.—
Matthew Glasser,
ABC News,
30 June 2025
Noun
-
But these weaknesses stem largely from underfunding and political hostility – not from any intrinsic flaw in the model.—
Sumit Agarwal,
The Conversation,
3 July 2025
-
In our experience we were met with outright hostility for our Christian beliefs.—
BJ,
Denver Post,
3 July 2025
Noun
-
Beneath the inevitable finger-pointing and politicizing, there is often a genuine, even desperate, human impulse to find fault not out of malice, but out of mourning and a desire to find solutions.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
-
To hunt a predator feels like an act of malice, of dominance, of ego.—
Helen Whybrow
July 7,
Literary Hub,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
Hepatologists diagnose and treat conditions affecting the liver and biliary system, which is all the organs that make and store bile, a fluid that helps digest fat.—
Suchandrima Bhowmik,
Health,
29 June 2025
-
Antisemitic rhetoric, and even violence, sometimes masked as anti-Israel bile, must be combatted, not coddled.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Virulence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/virulence. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
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