violent

IPA/ˈvaɪələnt/
KK[vˈaɪələnt]IPA/ˈvaɪələnt/

violent — adjective

  • violentpositive
  • more violentcomparative
  • most violentsuperlative

1. A violent person deliberately hurts other people by using their body, an object,

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

A violent person deliberately hurts other people by using their body, an object, or a weapon.

Example

Ryo became violent after the other boys started laughing at his mistake.

become + violent (change from calm to aggressive)

The school expelled the violent student for attacking a classmate in the hallway.

violent + student (attributive before a person noun)

Common collocations
  • violent attack
  • violent behaviour
  • violent criminal
  • turn violent
  • become violent
Synonyms
  • aggressive

    Can be verbal or non-physical; violent always implies physical force.

  • brutal

    Emphasises cruelty and lack of mercy, stronger than violent.

  • savage

    Suggests wild, animal-like cruelty; more extreme than violent.

Antonyms
  • gentle

    Describes kind, careful, or soft behaviour.

  • peaceful

    Describes a state of calm with no fighting or force.

Grammar Patterns

violent + noun

be/become/turn + violent

Usage Note

Frequently appears both attributively before nouns (a violent attack) and after linking verbs like become, turn, or get (He got violent after drinking). The predicative use often signals a change in behaviour.

Common Mistakes

He was violent to pass the exam.
He studied very hard to pass the exam.
Violent describes physical force or aggression, not effort or determination.

2. A violent event, situation, or scene involves people being physically hurt, inju

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

A violent event, situation, or scene involves people being physically hurt, injured, or killed.

Example

Christopher survived a violent robbery at the shop where he worked last summer.

The news report called the violent incident the worst the city had seen in years.

violent + incident (attributive before an event noun)

Common collocations
  • violent crime
  • violent death
  • violent scene
  • violent protest
  • violent incident
Synonyms
  • bloody

    Specifically suggests that people were injured or killed; narrower than violent.

  • deadly

    Emphasises that the event caused death.

  • destructive

    Focuses on damage to property or people, not just force.

Antonyms
  • peaceful

    Describes an event without fighting, harm, or disturbance.

  • calm

    Describes a situation with no conflict or trouble.

Grammar Patterns

violent + event/situation noun

Usage Note

Most common before nouns that name events or situations — such as clash, protest, scene, incident, or robbery. Unlike sense 1, this sense does not describe a person's character or behaviour.

Common Mistakes

She was violent about the movie.' (meaning she disliked it strongly)
She was very critical of the movie.
Violent is not used for opinions or mild dislike.

3. A violent force, feeling, or movement is sudden, extremely strong, and can cause

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

A violent force, feeling, or movement is sudden, extremely strong, and can cause damage or shock — for example, a violent storm, a violent pain, or a violent reaction.

Example

Henrik felt a violent pain in his lower back after lifting the heavy boxes alone.

violent + pain (sudden, intense physical sensation)

A violent thunderstorm tore the roof off several houses in the mountain village.

violent + thunderstorm (extreme weather with destructive force)

Common collocations
  • violent storm
  • violent pain
  • violent reaction
  • violent emotion
  • violent movement
  • violent jolt
Synonyms
  • intense

    Strong but not necessarily sudden; can describe sustained feelings.

  • fierce

    Strong and aggressive, often used for competition, wind, or attacks.

  • powerful

    Has great force but lacks the idea of suddenness or damage.

Antonyms
  • mild

    Describes something gentle, not strong, in force, emotion, or flavour.

  • gentle

    Describes soft, slow, or careful movement or touch.

Grammar Patterns

violent + natural force noun

violent + emotion/pain noun

violent + movement noun

Usage Note

Common with nouns for natural forces (storm, wind, earthquake), physical sensations (pain, jolt, shudder), and emotional responses (reaction, anger, outcry). Cannot describe temperature, taste, or colour — those belong to sense 4 for colours.

Common Mistakes

The soup was violently hot.
The soup was extremely hot.
Violent describes sudden force or strong emotion, not temperature.

4. When a colour is described as violent, it is so bright, vivid, or strong that it

4.adjectiveB2
Definition

When a colour is described as violent, it is so bright, vivid, or strong that it appears unpleasant, shocking, or harsh to the eyes.

Example

Bao painted the wall a violent pink that made his sister cover her eyes.

violent + shade + colour name (describing an unpleasantly bright colour)

The artist used violent reds and oranges to show tension in the painting.

Common collocations
  • violent colour
  • violent pink
  • violent red
  • violent purple
  • violent shade
Synonyms
  • garish

    Describes something showy or flashy in a way that is unpleasant, including colours.

  • loud

    Informal term for colours that are too bright and attract too much attention.

  • vivid

    Describes bright, clear colours — but vivid is not necessarily negative.

Antonyms
  • muted

    Describes colours that are soft, quiet, or not bright.

  • subtle

    Describes colours that are gentle and not immediately noticeable.

Grammar Patterns

violent + colour noun

Usage Note

Only used for colours, never for shapes, patterns, textures, or sounds. Often implies that the speaker finds the colour unpleasant or inappropriately bright for the context.

Common Mistakes

She wore a violent dress.' (if you mean it was brightly coloured)
She wore a violently bright dress.
Violent alone before a clothing noun sounds like the dress attacked someone. Use violently bright instead.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Violent is the broadest term, describing any use of physical force to hurt someone or hurt property. Aggressive suggests a readiness to start fights but can be verbal rather than physical — an aggressive sales pitch does not involve force. Brutal emphasises cruelty and a lack of mercy, carrying a stronger moral judgement than violent. Savage adds the idea of being wild, uncontrolled, and inhumanely cruel, like an animal attack. Use violent for neutral descriptions of force; choose brutal or savage when you want to condemn an act's cruelty. For example: the protest turned violent (neutral fact); the dictator's soldiers were accused of brutal treatment of prisoners (strong disapproval).

violent ↗aggressive ↗brutal ↗savage ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • extremely violent
  • increasingly violent
  • particularly violent
  • shockingly violent

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Violent came into English from Old French, and before that from the Latin word violentus, meaning 'forcible' or 'passionate'. The Latin root vis means 'strength, force, power'. The original sense of physical force has stayed central since the 1300s, with later extensions into emotions and colours.