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GRE vocabulary

virulent

adjectiveHigh-frequency wordMore V words

extremely harmful, hostile, or quick to spread

Word origin: From Latin virus, poison.

In a sentence

Virulent in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing virulent in a sentence.

The pamphlet contained a virulent attack on the new immigrants.

The op-ed launched a virulent attack on the agency, questioning the motives of every official named.

Synonyms
poisonousvenomousmalignanthostile
Antonyms
harmlessbenign
Usage & nuance

Using “virulent” well

Virulent describes something extremely harmful, hostile, or quick to spread, used of diseases and of bitter hostility alike. It is the opposite of harmless or benign.

Common questions

Questions about “virulent

Virulent (adjective) means extremely harmful, hostile, or quick to spread
Here is virulent used in an example sentence: "The pamphlet contained a virulent attack on the new immigrants." Another example: "The op-ed launched a virulent attack on the agency, questioning the motives of every official named."
Common synonyms for virulent include poisonous, venomous, malignant, hostile.
Antonyms of virulent include harmless, benign.
Clusters with poisonous, venomous, and malignant in Sentence Equivalence. Its antonyms harmless and benign mark the contrasting choice.
Yes. Virulent is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

Learn words the way the GRE tests them.

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