as in severity
biting sharpness of feeling or expression
I was surprised by the virulence of the criticism
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Recent Examples of virulence
Scientists emphasized that this hasn’t been linked to virulence or rapid transmission.
—
Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 4 Oct. 2024
When a plague of unprecedented virulence sweeps the globe, the human race is all but wiped out.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 1 Oct. 2024
Those cases have decreased significantly in the U.S. The current strain, called clade 1b, is worrisome because of its virulence.
—Erika Edwards, NBC News, 5 Aug. 2024
In Earth Abides, when a plague of unprecedented virulence sweeps the globe, the human race is all but wiped out.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 25 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for virulence
Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 4 Oct. 2024
When a plague of unprecedented virulence sweeps the globe, the human race is all but wiped out.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 1 Oct. 2024
Those cases have decreased significantly in the U.S. The current strain, called clade 1b, is worrisome because of its virulence.
—Erika Edwards, NBC News, 5 Aug. 2024
In Earth Abides, when a plague of unprecedented virulence sweeps the globe, the human race is all but wiped out.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 25 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for virulence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for virulence
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
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Read More: How Climate Change Will Affect the Seasons The firings, which are expected to continue in the coming days, have sparked outrage among experts and lawmakers, who warn that such cuts could severely hamper NOAA's ability to respond to the increasing severity of weather events.—
Nik Popli,
TIME,
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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The goals of turning the ceasefire into a permanent end of hostilities and the destruction of Hamas are irreconcilable, short of the group agreeing to be disarmed.—
Ibrahim Dahman,
CNN,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
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There are plenty of GMs out there who try to emulate Lamoriello as far as trying to keep any news from leaking or keeping a close watch on what’s posted on social media, but the difference with Lou is that his rules are not enforced with malice or high emotion.—
Arthur Staple,
The Athletic,
21 Feb. 2025
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To a degree surprising for those who think of the Trump administration as a mere composite of malice, nihilism, and chaos, its Ukraine policy seems orchestrated, with three big pieces dropping yesterday alone.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Bile duct diseases: Diseases that affect the tubes that carry bile away from the liver, or bile ducts, include primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis and biliary atresia.—
Lisa Rapaport,
EverydayHealth.com,
28 Feb. 2025
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Other causes for a liver transplant include diseases that affect bile ducts that carry bile from the liver, such as biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis and biliary atresia.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Virulence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/virulence. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.
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