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  1. virulent love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. adj. Extremely infectious, malignant, or poisonous. Used of a disease or toxin.
  2. adj. Capable of causing disease by breaking down protective mechanisms of the host. Used of a pathogen.
  3. adj. Bitterly hostile or antagonistic; hateful: virulent criticism. See Synonyms at poisonous.
  4. adj. Intensely irritating, obnoxious, or harsh.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. Full of virus; extremely poisonous or venomous.
  2. Due to the action of a virus: as, a virulent inoculation.
  3. Very bitter or spiteful; malignant: as, a virulent invective; a virulent libel.

Wiktionary

  1. adj. highly infectious, malignant, or deadly.
  2. adj. Hostile to the point of being venomous; intensely acrimonious.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. adj. Extremely poisonous or venomous; very active in doing injury.
  2. adj. Very bitter in enmity; actuated by a desire to injure; malignant.

WordNet 3.0

  1. adj. harsh or corrosive in tone
  2. adj. extremely poisonous or injurious; producing venom
  3. adj. infectious; having the ability to cause disease

Etymologies

  1. From Latin virus ("poison, slime, venom"). (Wiktionary)
  2. Middle English, from Latin vīrulentus, from vīrus, poison. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

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Lists

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Comments

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  • Wee "Time had been wanton, virulent and spiteful." Money. Amis, Martin. Sep 11, 2011

  • seanahan That's an excellent metaphoric use of virulent. Jan 4, 2008

  • brtom "By cunning, cautious; or by nature, cold, 15
    In maiden madness, virulently bold!"
    Sheridan, School for Scandal Jan 2, 2008

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‘virulent’ has been looked up 3840 times, loved by 15 people, added to 87 lists, commented on 3 times, and has a Scrabble score of 11.