vehemence

[ vee-uh-muhns ]

noun

1. the quality of being vehement; ardor; fervor.

   Synonyms: eagerness, fervency, enthusiasm, zeal, verve

   Antonyms: apathy

2. vigorous impetuosity; fury:

   the vehemence of his attack.

   Synonyms: passion

   Antonyms: apathy

Other Words From

• over·vehe·mence noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of vehemence¹

1520–30; < Latin vehementia; vehement, -ence

Example Sentences

The influencer and the scientist have little in common—Moon never graduated from high school, and Russo doesn’t quite understand how to use Instagram—but still, I was surprised to see their conflict spin out with such vehemence.

From MIT Technology Review

I’ve been surprised by the vehemence of people’s opinions about public health questions — making them personal, political.

From Digiday

The vehemence of the experts I spoke with surprised me, but the substance of what they said did not.

From ProPublica

They seemed taken aback by the vehemence of Stebbins’ arguments.

From ProPublica

And this, more than anything, explains the size and vehemence of the protests.

From The Daily Beast

Armstrong spent more than a decade denying with great vehemence what he may now be preparing to admit.

From The Daily Beast

The “special vehemence” that Geronimo brought to raids there could be dated almost precisely to a night in 1851.

From The Daily Beast

V is for vehemence, which the Tea Party movement has in abundance.

From The Daily Beast

She is unmatched in both the relentlessness and vehemence of her image-rehabilitation campaign.

From The Daily Beast

It burst upon them ere long with awful fury and grandeur, the elements warring with incredible vehemence.

From Project Gutenberg

These remarks were uttered with such vehemence, that not a word was lost, and the whole coach became convulsed with laughter.

From Project Gutenberg

As Couthon, a Jacobin orator, was uttering deep denunciations, he became breathless with the vehemence of his passionate speech.

From Project Gutenberg

Mrs. Martin, amused with the vehemence with which the old man spoke out his mind, replied, with a smile.

From Project Gutenberg

His satires are also admirable, but without the fierce vehemence and lofty indignation that characterized those of Juvenal.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• fervor