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
One Pasteurella-like microbe carried genetic hints of virulence and has ties to deadly outbreaks in modern African elephants.
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Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 30 Sep. 2025
While VUMs require more testing to establish their true risks to public health, VOIs are explicitly confirmed to have genetic changes that affect virus characteristics like transmissibility and virulence.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 9 June 2025
The diminished virulence that the pathogen evolved in response to more of its hosts dying potentially caused these earlier plague pandemics to fizzle out.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 29 May 2025
The scale score measures the virulence of cancerous cells and tissues in the body, with a higher score meaning the cancer is more likely to spread quickly, as Biden’s has already done.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for virulence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for virulence
Noun
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Those who break the rules are hit with fines depending on the severity of the infraction.—
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So consider the size and severity of scratches and markings, as well as the item's price.—
Noun
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Of the many types of basil, the classic Italian 'Treviso' variety stands out for resisting bitterness, staying tender longer, and being slow to flower even as summer heats up.—
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Red flags included bitterness or any metallic notes the beans may have picked up during processing.—
Noun
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After years of fighting for its survival in the face of hacks and growing regulatory hostility, crypto’s fortunes abruptly change.—
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Jewish and civil rights groups blasted the move as weakening safeguards, fueling criticism that Mamdani’s early agenda signals hostility toward Israel and the Jewish community.—
Noun
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Prosecutors could not prove malice in the case.—
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Some commenters did acknowledge a minority viewpoint, suggesting the conflict may stem from differing perspectives rather than malice.—
Noun
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All brittleness and bile in the hands of Diego Luna, Valentín’s quiet righteousness rubs up against his cellmate’s grandiosity in all the wrong ways — at first.—
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That means good bile flow (supported by healthy fats, hydration and fiber) and regular bowel movements so waste doesn’t get reabsorbed.—
Noun
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The virulency of Covid-19 trained even those of us who shop locally out of principal to purchase online.—
Cite this Entry
“Virulence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/virulence. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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