Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

virulent

American  
[vir-yuh-luhnt, vir-uh-] / ˈvɪr yə lənt, ˈvɪr ə- /

adjective

  1. actively poisonous; intensely noxious.

    a virulent insect bite.
    Synonyms:
    venomous
    Antonyms:
    harmless

  2. Medicine/Medical. highly infective; malignant or deadly.

  3. Bacteriology. causing clinical symptoms.

  4. violently or spitefully hostile.

  5. intensely bitter, spiteful, or malicious.

    a virulent attack.
    Synonyms:
    acerbic, vicious
virulent British  
/ ˈvɪrʊlənt /

adjective

    1. (of a microorganism) extremely infective

    2. (of a disease) having a rapid course and violent effect

  2. extremely poisonous, injurious, etc

  3. extremely bitter, hostile, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • hypervirulent adjective
  • hypervirulently adverb
  • nonvirulent adjective
  • nonvirulently adverb
  • supervirulent adjective
  • supervirulently adverb
  • unvirulent adjective
  • unvirulently adverb
  • virulently adverb

Etymology

Origin of virulent

1350–1400; Middle English verulent < Latin vīrulentus, equivalent to vīr ( us ) poison ( virus ) + -ulentus -ulent

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.