violent

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/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: vi‧o‧l‧ent
• Rhymes: -aɪlənt

Adjective

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

1. Involving extreme force or motion.

   A violent wind ripped the branch from the tree.

2. Involving physical conflict.

   We would rather negotiate, but we will use violent means if necessary.

   • 2019 May 13, David Robson, “The '3.5% rule': How a small minority can change the world”, in BBC‎:

     Looking at hundreds of campaigns over the last century, Chenoweth found that nonviolent campaigns are twice as likely to achieve their goals as violent campaigns.

3. Likely to use physical force.

   The escaped prisoners are considered extremely violent.

4. Intensely vivid.

   The artist expressed his emotional theme through violent colors.

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:

     We have already observed, that he was a very good-natured fellow, and he hath himself declared the violent attachment he had to the person and character of Jones […]

5. Produced or effected by force; not spontaneous; unnatural.
   • c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene vi]:

     These violent delights have violent ends.

   • 1684-1690, Thomas Burnet, Sacred Theory of the Earth

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

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     Ease would recant / Vows made in pain, as violent and void.

6. Acute, extreme, sharp.
   • 2025 March 1, Barney Ronay, “Crystal Palace through after Millwall keeper’s red for head-high tackle on Mateta”, in The Guardian‎:

     Palace made it 3-1 on 81 minutes, Nketiah nipping in to finish nicely, then doing a no-celebration pose in front of the away fans. Nketiah grew up a couple of miles from the Den. It felt, at the very least, like a neighbourly overture, and in violent contrast to the opening act at the other end.

Antonyms

• peaceful

Derived terms

• non-violent
• silent-but-violent
• violentism
• violent presumption
• violent profits
• violent relaxation
• violent storm

Related terms

• violence

Translations

involving extreme force or motion

Armenian: բուռն (hy) (buṙn) Bulgarian: бурен (bg) (buren), яростен (bg) (jarosten) Catalan: violent (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 暴力 (zh) (bàolì), 強烈 / 强烈 (zh) (qiángliè) Czech: prudký (cs) Danish: voldsom Dutch: gewelddadig (nl), geweldig (nl), hevig (nl) Finnish: raju (fi) French: violent (fr) Galician: violento (gl) Georgian: შმაგი (šmagi), გააფთრებული (gaaptrebuli), მძვინვარე (mʒvinvare) German: heftig (de), gewaltig (de), brutal (de), gewalttätig (de) Greek: βίαιος (el) m (víaios) Ancient: βίαιος (bíaios), σφοδρός (sphodrós) Hebrew: אלים (he) m (alím) Hungarian: heves (hu) Irish: foréigneach Italian: violento (it) Japanese: 激しい (ja) (hageshii) Latin: violentus Maori: whakarawarawa, taikaha, pūkeri (of wind), pūkerikeri (of wind), kuruki Middle English: violent Occitan: violent (oc) Old English: hetelīċ Polish: gwałtowny (pl) Portuguese: violento (pt) Romanian: violent (ro) Russian: неи́стовый (ru) (neístovyj) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: на́силан, жѐсток Roman: násilan (sh), žèstok (sh) Sicilian: violentu Slovene: silen Spanish: violento (es) Swedish: våldsam (sv) Tocharian B: räskare Turkish: şiddetli (tr) Yiddish: העפֿטיק (heftik)

involving physical conflict

Arabic: عَنِيف (ʕanīf) Bulgarian: насилствен (bg) (nasilstven) Catalan: violent (ca) Czech: násilný (cs) Danish: voldelig Dutch: gewelddadig (nl) Esperanto: perforta (eo) Finnish: väkivaltainen (fi) French: violent (fr) Galician: violento (gl) Georgian: ძალადობრივი (ʒaladobrivi), ძალმომრეობითი (ʒalmomreobiti) Greek: βίαιος (el) m (víaios) Ancient: βίαιος (bíaios) Hawaiian: weliweli, uluulu, ehuehu Hebrew: אלים (he) m (alím) Hungarian: erőszakos (hu) Irish: foréigneach Japanese: 暴力的 (ja) (bōryokuteki) Latin: violentus Maori: taikaha, kaikoka, tākaha Middle English: violent Norwegian: Bokmål: voldelig Occitan: violent (oc) Old English: stræc Ottoman Turkish: خشین (haşin) Polish: brutalny (pl) Portuguese: violento (pt) Romanian: violent (ro) Russian: наси́льственный (ru) (nasílʹstvennyj) Scottish Gaelic: ainneartach Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: на́силан Roman: násilan (sh) Slovene: nasilen (sl) Spanish: violento (es) Swedish: våldsam (sv) Ukrainian: наси́льницький (nasýlʹnycʹkyj), наси́льний (nasýlʹnyj)

likely to use physical force

Arabic: عَنِيف (ʕanīf) Catalan: violent (ca) Czech: násilný (cs) Danish: voldelig Dutch: gewelddadig (nl) Finnish: väkivaltainen (fi) French: violent (fr) Galician: violento (gl) Georgian: სასტიკი (ka) (sasṭiḳi), მძვინვარე (mʒvinvare) German: gewaltbereit (de) Greek: βίαιος (el) m (víaios) Hungarian: erőszakos (hu) Irish: foréigneach, borb Japanese: 暴力的 (ja) (bōryokuteki) Maore Comorian: wa peu Maori: kaikoka, whakarekereke Middle English: violent Old English: stræc Ottoman Turkish: خشین (haşin) Polish: agresywny (pl) Portuguese: violento (pt) Quechua: saqra Russian: жесто́кий (ru) (žestókij) Scottish Gaelic: ainneartach Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: на́силан Roman: násilan (sh) Slovene: nasilen (sl) Spanish: violento (es) Swedish: våldsam (sv) Welsh: treisgar (cy)

intensely vivid

Bulgarian: буен (bg) (buen), страстен (bg) (strasten) Czech: výrazný (cs) Danish: kraftig (da), heftig Finnish: raju (fi), intensiivinen (fi) French: vif (fr) German: grell (de) Greek: έντονος (el) (éntonos), δυνατός (el) (dynatós) Hungarian: rikító (hu) Irish: scéiniúil Japanese: 激しい (ja) (hageshii) Kabuverdianu: agresivu, agresive Polish: jaskrawy (pl) Portuguese: violento (pt)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Albanian: (please verify) dshunshëm Azerbaijani: (please verify) güclü (az) Dutch: (please verify) hevig (nl) Esperanto: (please verify) perforta (eo) Estonian: (please verify) vägivaldne French: (please verify) violent (fr) Indonesian: (please verify) keras (id) Irish: (please verify) anfhorlannach, (please verify) aintréan Italian: (please verify) violento (it) Korean: (please verify) 강력한 (gangnyeokhan) Manx: (please verify) neuoayllaashagh Persian: (please verify) دنت Romanian: (please verify) violent (ro), (please verify) puternic (ro) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: (please verify) жѐсток Roman: (please verify) žèstok (sh) Slovak: (please verify) divoký Swahili: (please verify) dhalimu Thai: (please verify) รุนแรง (th) (run-rɛɛng) Turkish: (please verify) sert (tr) Ukrainian: (please verify) си́льний (sýlʹnyj) Vietnamese: (please verify) mạnh mẽ (vi) Welsh: (please verify) chwyrn (cy) Yiddish: (please verify) היזיק (hizik)

Verb

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

1. (transitive, archaic) To urge with violence.
   • 1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=I to XI):

     a great adversary , stepping in , so violented his Majesty to a trial

Noun

violent (plural violents)

1. (obsolete) An assailant.
   • 1667, Richard Allestree, The Causes of the Decay of Christian Piety:

     Did the Covetous extortioner observe that he is involv'd in the same sentence, [and] remember that such Violents shall take not heaven, but hell, by force.

Anagrams

• LOVEINT

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin violentus.

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

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 [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “violent”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “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/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophone: violents

Adjective

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

1. violent
2. severe

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

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

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 30 May 2019.

Occitan

Etymology

From Latin violentus.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Béarn):

  (file)

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/neuter plural violente)

1. violent

Declension

Declension of violent

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	violent		violentă		violenți	violente
	definite	violentul		violenta		violenții	violentele
genitive- dative	indefinite	violent		violente		violenți	violente
	definite	violentului		violentei		violenților	violentelor

Related terms

• violență