as in severity
biting sharpness of feeling or expression
the virulency of his critical judgments became the stuff of Broadway legend
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Recent Examples of virulency
The virulency of Covid-19 trained even those of us who shop locally out of principal to purchase online.
—
Marc Peruzzi, Outside Online, 2 Mar. 2021
Marc Peruzzi, Outside Online, 2 Mar. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for virulency
Noun
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The consortium has promised to reduce that to 18 months by next year, but even that’s not nearly fast enough given the severity of the transatlantic security crisis.—
David Axe,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
-
Your healthcare provider can also prescribe medication to lessen the severity of COVID or the flu, but the key is to act quickly.—
Stephanie Anderson Witmer,
Health,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The Russian foreign policy establishment always speculated that Europe would be most likely to eventually seek rapprochement with Moscow, while U.S. hostility to Russia was thought to be hard-wired.—
Fred Weir,
The Christian Science Monitor,
5 Mar. 2025
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Guy Pearce is an antagonistic delight wielding passive-aggressive hostility as the main character’s benefactor, and Felicity Jones, as the architect’s loyal wife, is the heart of the piece who steps up when her spouse can’t.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA TODAY,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Everything about the movement surprised political observers: its virulence, its magnitude, its provincial origins, its apparent lack of structure and leadership, and its adamant refusal to be co-opted by existing political parties and unions.—
Arthur Goldhammer,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Dec. 2018
-
An ePPP is a pathogen that has been modified to enhance its transmissibility and virulence.—
Siladitya Ray,
Forbes,
27 Nov. 2024
Noun
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This starts with inflammation, and the ducts eventually close, leading to bile (digestive fluid) buildup in the liver.—
Mark Gurarie,
Health,
13 Dec. 2024
-
Primary sclerosing cholangitis is when a person's bile ducts become chronically inflamed and scarred, impairing bile transport and fat absorption.—
Colleen Doherty,
Verywell Health,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
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But Lloyd’s version brims with mordancy.—
Sarah Weinman,
New York Times,
10 Feb. 2023
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The gray-tint, cross-hatched drawings evoke George Cruikshank and Samuel Palmer, but the mordancy is vintage Sendak.—
The Week Staff,
The Week,
17 Oct. 2022
Noun
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Pete Hegseth, Trump’s profoundly unqualified defense secretary, made the malice clear by calling explicitly for Brown’s ouster along with that of any other officer involved with DEI.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2025
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Woe’s Hollow is where Kier Eagan first tamed the four tempers of the human soul: woe, frolic, dread, and malice.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Other footage showed similar instances of anger, such as when Ruby Franke expressed frustration at her husband for not being interactive enough on camera.—
Angela Yang,
NBC News,
27 Feb. 2025
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Ellen’s decision to end her husband’s life was not an act of anger or violence.—
Tony Ray,
Orlando Sentinel,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Medium-full with very good concentration and cleansing acidity.—
Tom Hyland,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
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The wine adds a nice acidity and body to the sauce.—
Catherine Jessee,
Southern Living,
22 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Virulency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/virulency. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.
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