VIRULENT

virulent

(adjective) infectious; having the ability to cause disease

acerb, acerbic, acid, acrid, bitter, blistering, caustic, sulfurous, sulphurous, virulent, vitriolic

(adjective) harsh or corrosive in tone; “an acerbic tone piercing otherwise flowery prose”; “a barrage of acid comments”; “her acrid remarks make her many enemies”; “bitter words”; “blistering criticism”; “caustic jokes about political assassination, talk-show hosts and medical ethics”; “a sulfurous denunciation”; “a vitriolic critique”

deadly, venomous, virulent

(adjective) extremely poisonous or injurious; producing venom; “venomous snakes”; “a virulent insect bite”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

virulent (comparative more virulent, superlative most virulent)

(chiefly, medicine, of a disease or disease-causing agent) Highly infectious, malignant, or deadly.

(figurative) Hostile to the point of being venomous; intensely acrimonious.

Anagrams

• evil turn

Source: Wiktionary


Vir"u*lent, a. Etym: [L. virulentus, fr. virus poison: cf. F. virulent. See Virus.]

1. Extremely poisonous or venomous; very active in doing injury. A contagious disorder rendered more virulent by uncleanness. Sir W. Scott.

2. Very bitter in enmity; actuated by a desire to injure; malignant; as, a virulent invective.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

25 June 2025

DETENTION

(noun) a state of being confined (usually for a short time); “his detention was politically motivated”; “the prisoner is on hold”; “he is in the custody of police”


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Coffee Trivia

The first coffee-house in Mecca dates back to the 1510s. The beverage was in Turkey by the 1530s. It appeared in Europe circa 1515-1519 and was introduced to England by 1650. By 1675 the country had more than 3,000 coffee houses, and coffee had replaced beer as a breakfast drink.

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