virulent

Advancedzipf 2.88

Pronunciation

/ˈvɪrʊlənt/(VIR-oo-lunt)

Part of speech

adjectiveformal

Chinese

① (疾病)致命的；剧毒的 ② (言辞)尖刻的；充满敌意的

Definition

(1) Extremely severe or harmful (disease/poison). (2) Bitterly hostile (speech/criticism).

Word family

  • virulence/ˈvɪrʊləns/(n)毒性/敌意
  • virulently/ˈvɪrʊləntli/(adv)

Collocations

  • virulent strain
  • virulent criticism
  • virulent attack
  • virulent hatred

Examples

  1. 1.A virulent strain of the flu spread rapidly through the population. (extremely harmful)
  2. 2.The article launched a virulent attack on the government's policy. (bitterly hostile)

Synonyms

  • toxic/ˈtɒksɪk/— poisonous, medical sense
  • venomous/ˈvɛnəməs/— full of venom, both senses
  • vitriolic/ˌvɪtriˈɒlɪk/— harshly critical, speech

Etymology

from Latin "virulentus" = poisonous — "virus" = poison/slime