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, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
From Middle English violent, from Old French violent, from Latin violentus, from vīs (“strength”). Displaced native Old English stræc. For the verb, compare French violenter.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈvaɪ.ə.lənt/, /ˈvaɪ.lənt/
- Rhymes: -aɪlənt
- Hyphenation: vi‧o‧lent, vio‧lent
Adjective
violent (comparative violenter or more violent, superlative violentest or most violent)
- Involving extreme force or motion.
A violent wind ripped the branch from the tree.
- Involving physical conflict.
We would rather negotiate, but we will use violent means if necessary.
- Likely to use physical force.
The escaped prisoners are considered extremely violent.
- Intensely vivid.
The artist expressed his emotional theme through violent colors.
- Produced or effected by force; not spontaneous; unnatural.
c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :These violent delights have violent ends.
- 1684-1690, Thomas Burnet, Sacred Theory of the Earth
- and no violent state by his own Maxim, can be perpetual,
1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. , London: [Samuel Simmons], , →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: , London: Basil Montagu Pickering , 1873, →OCLC:Ease would recant / Vows made in pain, as violent and void.
Antonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
involving extreme force or motion
- Armenian: բուռն (hy) (buṙn)
- Bulgarian: бурен (bg) (buren), яростен (bg) (jarosten)
- Catalan: violent (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 暴力 (zh) (bàolì), 強烈/强烈 (zh) (qiángliè)
- Czech: prudký (cs)
- Danish: voldsom
- Dutch: gewelddadig (nl), geweldig (nl), hevig (nl)
- Finnish: raju (fi)
- French: violent (fr)
- Galician: violento (gl)
- Georgian: შმაგი (šmagi), გააფთრებული (gaaptrebuli), მძვინვარე (mʒvinvare)
- German: heftig (de), gewaltig (de), brutal (de), gewalttätig (de)
- Greek: βίαιος (el) m (víaios)
- Ancient: βίαιος (bíaios), σφοδρός (sphodrós)
- Hebrew: אלים (he) m (alím)
- Hungarian: heves (hu)
- Irish: foréigneach
- Italian: violento (it)
- Japanese: 激しい (ja) (hageshii)
- Latin: violentus
- Maori: whakarawarawa, taikaha, pūkeri (of wind), pūkerikeri (of wind), kuruki
- Middle English: violent
- Occitan: violent (oc)
- Old English: hetelīċ
- Polish: gwałtowny (pl)
- Portuguese: violento (pt)
- Romanian: violent (ro)
- Russian: неи́стовый (ru) (neístovyj)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: на́силан, жѐсток
- Roman: násilan (sh), žèstok (sh)
- Sicilian: violentu
- Slovene: silen
- Spanish: violento (es)
- Swedish: våldsam (sv)
- Tocharian B: räskare
- Turkish: şiddetli (tr)
- Yiddish: העפֿטיק (heftik)
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involving physical conflict
likely to use physical force
Translations to be checked
Verb
violent (third-person singular simple present violents, present participle violenting, simple past and past participle violented)
- (transitive, archaic) To urge with violence.
1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church-history of Britain; , London: Iohn Williams , →OCLC:a great adversary , stepping in , so violented his Majesty to a trial
Noun
violent (plural violents)
- (obsolete) An assailant.
1667, Richard Allestree, The Causes of the Decay of Christian Piety:Did the Covetous extortioner observe that he is involv'd in the same sentence, [and] remember that such Violents shall take not heaven, but hell, by force.
Anagrams
Catalan
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin violentus.
Pronunciation
Adjective
violent (feminine violenta, masculine plural violents, feminine plural violentes)
- violent
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading
French
Etymology 1
Inherited from Old French violent, borrowed from Latin violentus.
Pronunciation
Adjective
violent (feminine violente, masculine plural violents, feminine plural violentes)
- violent
- severe
Etymology 2
Inflected forms.
Pronunciation
Verb
violent
- third-person plural present indicative/subjunctive of violer
Further reading
Anagrams
Latin
Verb
violent
- third-person plural present active subjunctive of violō
Middle English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old French violent, from Latin violentus.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˌviːɔlˈɛnt/, /ˌviːəlˈɛnt/, /viəlˈɛnt/, /ˈviːəlɛnt/
Adjective
violent (plural and weak singular violente)
- Violent, forcible, injury-causing.
- Potent, mighty, damaging, forceful
- Severe, extreme; excessive in magnitude.
- Tending to cause injuries; likely to cause violence.
- Abrupt; happening without warning or notice.
- (rare) Despotic, authoritarian; ruling unfairly.
Related terms
Descendants
References
Occitan
Etymology
From Latin violentus.
Pronunciation
Adjective
violent m (feminine singular violenta, masculine plural violents, feminine plural violentas)
- violent
Related terms
Old French
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin violentus.
Adjective
violent m (oblique and nominative feminine singular violent or violente)
- violent (using violence)
Descendants
Piedmontese
Pronunciation
Adjective
violent
- violent
Romanian
Etymology
Borrowed from French violent, Latin violentus.
Pronunciation
Adjective
violent m or n (feminine singular violentă, masculine plural violenți, feminine and neuter plural violente)
- violent
Declension
Related terms