noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˈvɪɹjələns/
/ˈvɪɹələns/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:V IH1 R AH0 L AH0 N S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The state of being virulent.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
Most strains of this virus have no virulence.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The degree of how virulent a thing is.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
This strain has higher virulence than most others.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
extreme hostility
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the virulence of the malicious old man
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: virulency
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: hostility, ill will
4
noun
Meaning 4
extreme harmfulness (as the capacity of a microorganism to cause disease)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the virulence of the plague
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: virulency
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: harmfulness, injuriousness
History
Etymology
From Middle French virulence, from Late Latin virulentia.
Across languages
Translations
40 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
حدة الجرثوم
— the state of being virulent
Armenian:
վիրուլենտություն
(virulentutʻyun)
— the state of being virulent
Azerbaijani:
virulent
— the state of being virulent
Basque:
birulentzia
— the state of being virulent
Belarusian:
вірулентнасць
(viruljentnascʹ)
— the state of being virulent
Bengali:
প্রকোপ
(prokōp)
— the state of being virulent
Catalan:
virulència
— the state of being virulent
Chinese:
毒力
— the state of being virulent
Czech:
virulence
— the state of being virulent
Dutch:
virulentie
— the state of being virulent
Estonian:
virulentsus
— the state of being virulent
Finnish:
virulenssi
— the state of being virulent
French:
virulence
— the state of being virulent
German:
Virulenz
— the state of being virulent
Greek:
λοιμοτοξικότητα
(loimotoxikótita)
— the state of being virulent
Greek:
μολυσματικότητα
(molysmatikótita)
— the state of being virulent
Hungarian:
virulencia
— the state of being virulent
Indonesian:
bakteri virulen
— the state of being virulent
Italian:
virulenza
— the state of being virulent
Kazakh:
вируленттік
(virulenttık)
— the state of being virulent
Central Kurdish:
ڤیرۆلەنس
(vîrolenis)
— the state of being virulent
Kyrgyz:
вируленттүүлүк
(virulenttüülük)
— the state of being virulent
Latvian:
virulence
— the state of being virulent
Macedonian:
масовност
(masovnost)
— the state of being virulent
Macedonian:
патогеност
(patogenost)
— the state of being virulent
Macedonian:
вируленција
(virulencija)
— the state of being virulent
Norwegian:
virulens
— the state of being virulent
Norwegian Nynorsk:
virulens
— the state of being virulent
Persian:
ویرولانس
— the state of being virulent
Polish:
wirulencja
— the state of being virulent
Portuguese:
virulência
— the state of being virulent
Russian:
вирулентность
(virulentnostʹ)
— the state of being virulent
Serbo-Croatian:
virulencija
— the state of being virulent
Spanish:
virulencia
— the state of being virulent
Swedish:
virulens
— the state of being virulent
Thai:
ศักยภาพก่อโรค
— the state of being virulent
Turkish:
virülans
— the state of being virulent
Ukrainian:
вірулентність
(virulentnistʹ)
— the state of being virulent
