violent

English Online Dictionary. What means violent‎? What does violent mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English violent, from Old French violent, from Latin violentus, from vīs (“strength”). Displaced native Old English stræc. For the verb, compare French violenter.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvaɪ.ə.lənt/, /ˈvaɪ.lənt/
• Rhymes: -aɪlənt
• Hyphenation: vi‧o‧lent, vio‧lent

Adjective

violent (comparative violenter or more violent, superlative violentest or most violent)

1. Involving extreme force or motion.

2. Involving physical conflict.

3. Likely to use physical force.

4. Intensely vivid.
5. Produced or effected by force; not spontaneous; unnatural.
   • 1684-1690, Thomas Burnet, Sacred Theory of the Earth

     and no violent state by his own Maxim, can be perpetual,

Antonyms

• peaceful

Derived terms

Related terms

• violence

Translations

Verb

violent (third-person singular simple present violents, present participle violenting, simple past and past participle violented)

1. (transitive, archaic) To urge with violence.

Noun

violent (plural violents)

1. (obsolete) An assailant.

Anagrams

• LOVEINT

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin violentus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [bi.uˈlen]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencia) [vi.oˈlent]

Adjective

violent (feminine violenta, masculine plural violents, feminine plural violentes)

1. violent

Derived terms

• violentament

Related terms

• violència

Further reading

• “violent” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “violent”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “violent” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “violent” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

French

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old French violent, borrowed from Latin violentus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vjɔ.lɑ̃/

Adjective

violent (feminine violente, masculine plural violents, feminine plural violentes)

1. violent
2. severe

Etymology 2

Inflected forms.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vjɔl/
• Homophones: viole, violes

Verb

violent

1. third-person plural present indicative/subjunctive of violer

Further reading

• “violent”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• ventilo, voilent

Latin

Verb

violent

1. third-person plural present active subjunctive of violō

Middle English

Alternative forms

• vyolent, wyolent, vilent

Etymology

From Old French violent, from Latin violentus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌviːɔlˈɛnt/, /ˌviːəlˈɛnt/, /viəlˈɛnt/, /ˈviːəlɛnt/

Adjective

violent (plural and weak singular violente)

1. Violent, forcible, injury-causing.
2. Potent, mighty, damaging, forceful
3. Severe, extreme; excessive in magnitude.
4. Tending to cause injuries; likely to cause violence.
5. Abrupt; happening without warning or notice.
6. (rare) Despotic, authoritarian; ruling unfairly.

Related terms

• violence
• violently

Descendants

• English: violent

References

• “vī̆olent, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-05-30.

Occitan

Etymology

From Latin violentus.

Pronunciation

Adjective

violent m (feminine singular violenta, masculine plural violents, feminine plural violentas)

1. violent

Related terms

• violéncia

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin violentus.

Adjective

violent m (oblique and nominative feminine singular violent or violente)

1. violent (using violence)

Descendants

• → Middle English: violent, vyolent, wyolent, vilent
  • English: violent
• French: violent

Piedmontese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vjuˈlɛŋt/

Adjective

violent

1. violent

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French violent, Latin violentus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vi.oˈlent/

Adjective

violent m or n (feminine singular violentă, masculine plural violenți, feminine and neuter plural violente)

1. violent

Declension

Related terms

• violență