VIRILITY Synonyms: 20 Similar and Opposite Words

virility

noun

və-ˈri-lə-tē

as in masculinity

the set of qualities considered appropriate for or characteristic of men many cultures value virility as a sign of power

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of virility Contrasting rumors of Hitler’s virility could have actually been very welcome, and such were never confirmed nor denied. —

Rosemary Counter, Vanity Fair, 19 Jan. 2026 Jens snorts angrily; the frost has deprived him of his virility and transformed him into a helpless old man. —

Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025 For someone like Eli, then, projecting movie-star-like virility and vigor was an exercise in social advancement, in distancing himself from his babushka forebears’ grim reality. —

David Kamp, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025 Beards were not signs of virility but of disorder. —

Maurizio Valsania, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for virility

Recent Examples of Synonyms for virility

masculinity

Noun

Michael presented a different take on masculinity.

— Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
Stereotypes about Arab men are easy to list thanks to decades of pop-culture propaganda that has othered them to the West and Middle Eastern films that often reflect more traditional views of masculinity.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026