Synonyms for virulence
Most common
All synonyms
Noun
1. Malignity
malignity, venom, malice, malevolence, bitterness, poison, malignancy, animosity, rancor US, rancour UK, acrimony, asperity formal, virulency, poisonousness, spleen, acerbity
Other
Definitions
- n. 1
The state of being virulent.
Most strains of this virus have no virulence.
Related words
- Word family
- virality
Forms
- Plural
- virulences → malignities, venoms, malices, malevolences…
Choose the right word
Malignity is the extreme of settled ill intent; virulence is an envenomed hostility. Virulence of speech is a quality in language that makes the language seem as if exuding poison.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- venom There is no antidote for the venom of this snake.
- malice He jostled me unintentionally, not out of malice.
- malevolence I will fight back against Tom's malevolence.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| virulence | steady | |
| venom | steady | |
| malice | steady | |
| malevolence | rising | |
| malignity | steady | |
| venomousness | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 5 letters
- venom2
- 6 letters
- poison2, malice2, spleen1, rancor2
- 7 letters
- rancour
- 8 letters
- acrimony4, asperity4, acerbity
- 9 letters
- animosity5, malignity, virulency
- 10 letters
- bitterness3, malignancy4
- 11 letters
- malevolence
- 12 letters
- venomousness
- 13 letters
- poisonousness
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (venom2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- virulence
- Italiano
- virulenza
- Español
- virulencia