Dictionary

virulent en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /-ɹ(j)ə-/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈvɪɹ(j)ʊl(ə)nt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈvɪɹ(j)ələnt/ (General-American)

Etymology

PIE word *wisós From Middle English virulent (“leaking or seeping pus, purulent; (of putrefaction) extremely severe (sense uncertain)”) [and other forms], borrowed from Latin vīrulentus (“poisonous”), from vīrus (“poison; venom; slime, slimy liquid; stinking smell; nasty taste”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wisós (“poison; slime; fluidity”)) + -ulentus (suffix meaning ‘abounding in, full of’, forming adjectives). Sense 4 (“of a pathogen: replicating within its host cell, then immediately causing it to undergo lysis”) is derived from French virulent, which was first used in this sense by the French biologist François Jacob (1920–2013) and his co-authors in a 1953 article.

Meanings

1. Of animals, plants, or substances: extremely venomous or poisonous.
2. (figuratively) Extremely hostile or malicious; intensely acrimonious.
   • The politicians were virulent in their hatred of the president.
   • More venemous and much more virulent / Then any poyſoned tode, or any ſerpent. c. 1515–1516, published 1568, John Skelton, Againſt venemous tongues enpoyſoned with ſclaunder and falſe detractions &c.
   • It was a casual sneer, obviously one of a long line. There was hatred behind it, but of a quiet, chronic type, nothing new or unduly virulent, and he was taken aback by the flicker of amazed incredulity that passed over the younger man's ravaged face. 1963, Margery Allingham, “The Well House”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 105:
   • They were targeted by a virulent strain of nativism toward those from Southern and Eastern Europe that was largely about race. 2025 December 15, Greg Sargent, Inside Stephen Miller’s Dark Plot to Build a MAGA Terror State, The New Republic:
3. Of a disease or disease-causing agent: malignant, able to cause damage to the host.
4. Of a pathogen: replicating within its host cell, then immediately causing it to undergo lysis.

Forms

Antonyms

nonvirulent · benign · harmless · nonvirulent

Deriveds

virulently · avirulent · nonvirulent · hypervirulent · supervirulent · urovirulent · unvirulent · neurovirulent · hepatovirulent · cardiovirulent · enterovirulent · hypovirulent · virulentness · virulented

Relateds

virulency · virus · pathogenic · virulence

Translations (51)

bg силно отровен (extremely venomous or poisonous) · de bösartig (extremely hostile or malicious; intensely acrimonious) · bg враждебен (extremely hostile or malicious; intensely acrimonious) · ka სასიკვდილო (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · de boshaft (extremely hostile or malicious; intensely acrimonious) · nb ondskapsfull (extremely hostile or malicious; intensely acrimonious) · bg болестотворен (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · pt virulento (of a pathogen: replicating within its host cell, then immediately causing it to undergo lysis) · fr virulent (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · fi vahingollinen (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · de extrem ansteckend (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · kmr jehrewî (extremely venomous or poisonous) · nb giftig (extremely venomous or poisonous) · ka სენიანი (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · ka გადამდები (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · sh virulèntno (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · fi tarttuva (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · pt virulento (extremely venomous or poisonous) · de virulent (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · sh virulèntno (extremely venomous or poisonous) · sh вирулѐнтно (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · bg злобен (extremely hostile or malicious; intensely acrimonious) · fi vihamielinen (extremely hostile or malicious; intensely acrimonious) · sh вирулѐнтно (of a pathogen: replicating within its host cell, then immediately causing it to undergo lysis) · cs virulentní (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · sh вирулѐнтно (extremely venomous or poisonous) · nb virulent (extremely hostile or malicious; intensely acrimonious) · ro virulent (extremely hostile or malicious; intensely acrimonious) · pt virulento (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · fi katkera (extremely hostile or malicious; intensely acrimonious) · fr virulent (extremely hostile or malicious; intensely acrimonious) · hu virulens (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · sh virulèntno (of a pathogen: replicating within its host cell, then immediately causing it to undergo lysis) · fi tappava (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · ru заразный (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · de bösartig (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · ro virulent (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · eo virulenta (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · de hochgiftig (extremely venomous or poisonous) · sh вирулѐнтно (extremely hostile or malicious; intensely acrimonious) · sh virulèntno (extremely hostile or malicious; intensely acrimonious) · ca virulent (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · cs nepřátelský (extremely hostile or malicious; intensely acrimonious) · pl złośliwy (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · nb virulent (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · pl zjadliwy (extremely hostile or malicious; intensely acrimonious) · cs nakažlivý (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · nb giftig (extremely hostile or malicious; intensely acrimonious) · mk заразен (malignant, able to cause damage to the host) · pl jadowity (extremely venomous or poisonous) · pl złośliwy (of a pathogen: replicating within its host cell, then immediately causing it to undergo lysis)

wikipedia: François Jacob