as in malicious
having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it
the virulent look on her face warned me that she was about to say something unkind
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of virulent
The precautions are necessary, says Colleen Jonsson, a virologist at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, because of the possibility of the virus mutating to become more virulent.
—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
6 May 2026
Some of the bacteria that have been detected on the ISS have evolved during their time in space, including salmonella that have become more virulent and acinetobacter pittii that developed resistance to antibiotics.
—
Scott E. Solomon,
STAT,
22 Apr. 2026
How did the virulent nationalism and fraught politics of France’s interwar period—no less racked by crisis than its nuclear-era dénouement—inform the artist’s approach to figure and form?
—
Ara H. Merjian,
ARTnews.com,
16 Apr. 2026
The first great wave of Eastern European Jewish immigration to the United States began in 1881, set off by virulent, violent antisemitism in the Pale of Settlement.
—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for virulent
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
6 May 2026
Some of the bacteria that have been detected on the ISS have evolved during their time in space, including salmonella that have become more virulent and acinetobacter pittii that developed resistance to antibiotics.
—
Scott E. Solomon,
STAT,
22 Apr. 2026
How did the virulent nationalism and fraught politics of France’s interwar period—no less racked by crisis than its nuclear-era dénouement—inform the artist’s approach to figure and form?
—
Ara H. Merjian,
ARTnews.com,
16 Apr. 2026
The first great wave of Eastern European Jewish immigration to the United States began in 1881, set off by virulent, violent antisemitism in the Pale of Settlement.
—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for virulent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for virulent
Adjective
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According to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office, 37-year-old Adam Mazur-Baker was arraigned Tuesday on one count of using a computer to commit a crime and one count of malicious use of telecommunications services.
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This command executes malicious code inside the AppleScript directly.
Adjective
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This vicious machine chewed him up and spit him out in predictable fashion.
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The mood changed a bit when Tab Ramos took a vicious elbow to the side of his head and fractured his skull.
Adjective
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The heat has become so unbearable in Japan that weather officials in April announced a new term for days when maximum temperatures exceed 104 degrees — kokushobi, meaning harsh or cruel heat, according to the Japan Times.
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For thousands of Venezuelans, however, the lack of definitive answers has become one of the tragedy’s cruelest consequences.
Adjective
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Social media sites used for hateful comments Pumphrey made threatening posts on the social media platform YouTube and other social media sites, according to the guilty plea.
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Political podcasters such as Tucker Carlson peddle conspiracies and lies, and there seems to be little consequence for hateful rhetoric.
Adjective
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Including some rather nasty, big corpo bullies who enlist specialist teams to hunt down clues, and other players, too.
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Betty Kovacs, the eldest daughter of comedian Ernie Kovacs who with her sister Kippie and stepmother, actress-singer Edie Adams, was at the center of a nasty custody battle that kept Hollywood riveted in 1962, has died.
Cite this Entry
“Virulent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/virulent. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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