violent

adjective

vi·​o·​lent ˈvī-ə-lənt How to pronounce violent (audio)
1
a(1)
: marked by the use of usually harmful or destructive physical force
a violent attack
violent crime
The peaceful demonstration turned violent.
(2)
: showing or including violence
violent movies
b
: extremely powerful or forceful and capable of causing damage
violent storms
violent coughing
2
: caused by physical force or violence : not natural
a violent death
3
a
: emotionally agitated to the point of using harmful physical force
became violent after an insult
b
: prone to commit acts of violence
violent prison inmates
4
a
: notably forceful, furious, or vehement
a violent argument
a violent denunciation
b
: extreme, intense
violent pain
violent colors
violently adverb

Examples of violent in a Sentence

They witnessed a violent struggle between police and protesters. The peaceful protest suddenly turned violent. The city has experienced an increase in violent crime in the past year. The final scene was extremely violent. She suffered a violent death in a car accident. The patient suddenly became violent and had to be restrained. He's not a particularly violent person.
Recent Examples on the Web After months of internal deliberation, Twitter announced a plan to fight violent extremism, removing accounts suspected to have ISIS ties. Ann Marimow, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2024 Agencies should consider adopting a policy that restricts pursuits only for violent criminals and where failure to immediately take someone into custody presents an imminent threat to the public based on the suspect’s criminal actions. Lyndsay Winkley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2024 The violent confrontation on the A train happened a little more than a week after the governor ordered the National Guard into the subway in an effort to allay safety concerns. Michael Wilson, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2024 The country has been overwhelmed by violent gangs that some experts say have unleashed a low-scale civil war. CBS News, 16 Mar. 2024 Bolsonaro has denied inciting the violent attacks in the capital. Kareem El Damanhoury and Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024 Finally, reporters at Der Spiegel, Recorder, The Washington Post, and WIRED collaborated on an investigation into a global network of violent predators who use major platforms like Discord, Telegram, and even Roblox to target children and extort them into committing horrific acts of abuse—or worse. Dell Cameron Andrew Couts, WIRED, 16 Mar. 2024 Both are being bullied, Jamie at school and Ste at home by his violent father and brother. Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 15 Mar. 2024 During the closed-door meeting, Representative Debbie Lesko, of Arizona, explicitly warned the conference that angry Trump supporters who were convening in Washington might turn violent toward lawmakers. David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'violent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin violentus; akin to Latin vis strength — more at vim

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Time Traveler
The first known use of violent was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near violent

Cite this Entry

“Violent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/violent. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

violent

adjective
vi·​o·​lent ˈvī-ə-lənt How to pronounce violent (audio)
1
: marked by great force or sudden activity
a violent attack of coughing
violent storms
2
a
: especially furious or emotional
a violent denial of guilt
b
: intense sense 1
violent pain
3
: caused by force
a violent death
4
a
: acting with or characterized by harmful physical force : exercising or marked by violence
a violent person
violent actions
b
: having a tendency to carry out acts of violence
violent prison inmates
violently adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on violent

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