Vocabulary in context
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Virulent
Extremely harmful or poisonous; (of a disease) highly infectious or malignant; (of behavior or rhetoric) bitterly hostile.
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Imagine This
Virus is very deadly and poisonous. It can be transmitted even through lint.
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Sounds Like
VIR-yuh-lษnt
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Looks Like
Viru (virus) lent
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Remember This
Virulence indicates how severe the harm from a pathogen can be; virulent agents are highly potent and dangerous.
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Other Forms
virulencenoun
virulentlyadverb
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Connect With
pathogenic, toxic, malignant, contagious, infection
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Note
Virulent describes the degree of harm; the noun form is virulence. Do not confuse with 'benign' or 'harmless'.
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Study Deeper
Examples
- The virulent strain of the bacterium caused a rapid, severe outbreak.
- Politicians accused their opponents of virulent rhetoric that inflamed tensions between groups.
Synonyms
poisonousdeadlylethaltoxicmalignant
Antonyms
benignharmlessmild
Etymology
From Latin virulentus 'poisonous, harmful' formed from virus 'poison' plus the suffix -ulentus meaning 'full of' or 'having the quality of'. The sense in English dates from the 15th century.
Mnemonic
VIRULENT: Vicious Infections Rapidly Unfold, Lethal, Extremely Nasty Toxins.
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Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Toxic
adjectivePoisonous; capable of causing harm to living beings. It is also used figuratively to describe something harmful, destructive, or dangerous in a non-physical sense (for example, a toxic relationship).
Abstruse
adjectiveDifficult to understand; obscure or highly complex.
Accidental
adjectiveHappening by chance or without deliberate planning; not intended. In music, it is also a noun for a symbol that temporarily alters a pitch.
Acerbic
adjectiveSharp or biting in tone or taste; caustic or mordant in manner.
Acquiescent
adjectiveReady to agree or approve without protest; compliant.
Adamant
adjectiveRigid in opinion or purpose; not willing to change one's mind or position.
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