virulence

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/ˈvɪɹjələns//ˈvɪɹələns/

noun

The state of being virulent.

“Most strains of this virus have no virulence.”

Similar
virulency
OriginMiddle French virulence ← Late Latin virulentia →
Less commonScrabble 14
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Meanings

nounvirulence (countable and uncountable, plural virulences)

plural virulences

  1. countableuncountableThe state of being virulent.

    Most strains of this virus have no virulence.

    1 more example

    Francis was enraged at the interference, and opposition made him more in earnest; but just at this time, the civil war, which had hitherto left their part of the country comparatively quiet, arose with great virulence in their immediate vicinity.

    1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter V, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 61
  2. countableuncountableThe degree of how virulent a thing is.

    This strain has higher virulence than most others.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounextreme harmfulness (as the capacity of a microorganism to cause disease)

Similar
virulency
Broader
harmfulnessinjuriousness

nounextreme hostility

Similar
virulency
Broader
hostilityill will

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Late Latinvirulentia
  2. Middle Frenchvirulence
  3. Englishvirulence

From Middle French virulence, from Late Latin virulentia.

More words from Middle French, Late Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic حدة الجرثوم
  • حدة الجرثومthe state of being virulent
Basque birulentzia
  • birulentziathe state of being virulent
Bengali প্রকোপ
  • প্রকোপ (prokōp)the state of being virulent
Catalan virulència
  • virulènciathe state of being virulent
Chinese 毒力
  • 毒力the state of being virulent
Czech virulence
  • virulencethe state of being virulent
Dutch virulentie
  • virulentiethe state of being virulent
Estonian virulentsus
  • virulentsusthe state of being virulent
Finnish virulenssi
  • virulenssithe state of being virulent
French virulence
  • virulencethe state of being virulent
German Virulenz
  • Virulenzthe state of being virulent
Greek λοιμοτοξικότητα, μολυσματικότητα
  • λοιμοτοξικότητα (loimotoxikótita)the state of being virulent
  • μολυσματικότητα (molysmatikótita)the state of being virulent
Hungarian virulencia
  • virulenciathe state of being virulent
Indonesian bakteri virulen
  • bakteri virulenthe state of being virulent
Italian virulenza
  • virulenzathe state of being virulent
Latvian virulence
  • virulencethe state of being virulent
Norwegian virulens
  • virulensthe state of being virulent
Persian ویرولانس
  • ویرولانسthe state of being virulent
Polish wirulencja
  • wirulencjathe state of being virulent
Portuguese virulência
  • virulênciathe state of being virulent
Russian вирулентность
  • вирулентность (virulentnostʹ)the state of being virulent
Spanish virulencia
  • virulenciathe state of being virulent
Swedish virulens
  • virulensthe state of being virulent
Thai ศักยภาพก่อโรค
  • ศักยภาพก่อโรคthe state of being virulent
Turkish virülans
  • virülansthe state of being virulent
Ukrainian вірулентність
  • вірулентність (virulentnistʹ)the state of being virulent
Vietnamese độc lực
  • độc lựcthe state of being virulent
Cite this entry
APA

virulence. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/virulence

MLA

“virulence.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/virulence. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “virulence,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/virulence.

Source: virulence on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.