adj
virulent
VIH-ruulnt
adj
1
Extremely infectious or harmful, said of a disease or pathogen.
"A particularly virulent strain of the flu swept through the school."
2
Bitterly hostile or hateful.
"The critic wrote a virulent review, tearing the film apart line by line."
How to Use Virulent
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither extremely dangerous or infectious (a disease), or extremely hostile and bitter (an attack or criticism).
Common pairings
a virulent strain
virulent criticism
virulent hatred
Word Forms
more virulent comparative, most virulent superlative
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Etymology
From Latin virulentus, "full of poison," from virus ("poison").