virulent

IPA/ˈvɪrələnt/
KK[vˈɪrələnt]IPA/ˈvɪrələnt/

virulent — adjective

  • virulentpositive
  • more virulentcomparative
  • most virulentsuperlative

1. used to describe a disease or poison that spreads rapidly and causes severe harm

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

used to describe a disease or poison that spreads rapidly and causes severe harm to living things

Example

A virulent strain of the virus swept through Zola's village in less than a week.

virulent + strain — medical collocation

The doctors fought to contain the virulent infection that had already reached the capital.

virulent + infection — disease collocation

Common collocations
  • virulent strain
  • virulent infection
  • virulent disease
  • virulent poison
  • virulent form
  • virulent toxin
  • virulent bacteria
Synonyms
  • deadly

    less specific about speed; describes anything capable of causing death

  • toxic

    focuses on chemical harm; commonly used for substances and environments, not infections

  • malignant

    medical term for aggressively spreading tumours; not used for poisons

Antonyms
  • harmless

    causing no harm at all

  • benign

    of a disease or growth, not harmful and unlikely to spread

Grammar Patterns

virulent + noun (strain / infection / disease / poison / toxin / bacteria)

Usage Note

Commonly used before nouns such as strain, infection, disease, poison, and bacteria. Emphasizes not only severity but also how quickly the harm spreads or takes effect.

Common Mistakes

I caught a virulent flu.
A virulent strain of flu spread through the school in two days.
'virulent' describes the dangerously fast-spreading nature of a disease, not simply having it.
The food was virulent.
The food contained a virulent poison.
'virulent' describes the poison itself, not the food that carries it.

2. used about spoken or written words that express extreme anger and a strong desir

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

used about spoken or written words that express extreme anger and a strong desire to attack someone

Example

Senator Tamar launched a virulent attack on the opposition during the health-care debate.

virulent attack + on — political discourse pattern

Hari received a virulent email from a former colleague full of bitter accusations.

Common collocations
  • virulent attack
  • virulent criticism
  • virulent comments
  • virulent rhetoric
  • virulent hatred
  • virulent opposition
  • virulent email
Synonyms
  • hostile

    less intense; can describe unfriendly feelings without the element of bitter attack

  • vicious

    similar intensity but implies cruelty in action, not limited to speech

  • bitter

    focuses on resentment and hurt feelings rather than actively attacking

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

virulent + noun (attack / criticism / rhetoric / opposition / comments)

virulent + against + target

Usage Note

Describes hostile speech or writing, not physical violence or facial expressions. The target of the hostility is usually introduced with against or directed at. Common objects include attack, criticism, rhetoric, and opposition.

Common Mistakes

The man gave me a virulent look.
The speaker launched a virulent attack on the new policy.
'virulent' applies to speech and writing, not to looks or gestures.
She felt virulent toward him.
She wrote a virulent letter to the editor expressing her anger.
'virulent' describes the expression of hostility, not the internal feeling.

Word family

  • virulence
    nounC1
  • virulently
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Virulent, poisonous, venomous, toxic, and malignant all describe something harmful, but they differ in scope and context. Poisonous is the broadest term, used for any substance that harms living things when absorbed or ingested — mushrooms, chemicals, gases. Venomous is limited to animals (snakes, spiders, scorpions) that inject venom through a bite or sting. Toxic describes chemical or environmental harm, and is widely used in non-literal contexts such as "toxic relationship" or "toxic workplace." Malignant is a medical term specifically for tumours that grow aggressively and spread to other parts of the body. Virulent emphasizes both the severity and the rapid spread of harm, making it the best choice for fast-moving infectious diseases. For example, doctors warn about a virulent flu strain, whereas the same plant might simply be poisonous, and a cancer that spreads quickly is described as malignant, not virulent.

poisonous ↗venomous ↗toxic ↗malignant ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Virulent comes directly from the Latin word virulentus, meaning 'full of poison,' which itself comes from virus ('poison, slime, venom'). The word entered English in the late 14th century to describe physical poisons and diseases. By the early 17th century, writers had extended the meaning metaphorically to describe bitterly hostile language or feelings, much the way we now speak of 'poisonous words.'

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a