violent

  Something that is violent involves action that can cause physical or mental harm. Fighting, killing, and torture are all violent actions. The word "violent" is an adjective:

• Vanessa doesn’t allow her children to watch violent movies.
• The man across the street has a very violent temper. He scares everyone.
• A violent storm knocked down trees and powerlines.

The word "violently" is an adverb:

• The people in the street violently protested against the action of the police.
• The woman at the McDonald’s acted violently when she was unable to get her chicken nuggets.

The word "violence" is a noun:

• Children should not be exposed to too much violence on TV or in real life.
• The violence in Syria has resulted in the death of thousands of people, most of them civillians.
• Some people resort to violence in addressing their problems.

Angry and frustrated, the mob resorted to violence.

Note: The pronunication of the word "violent" is similar to the word "violin." Compare: violent / violin. If you have trouble making "v" sounds, click here to go to the pronunciation section.

This is a violin.

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This page was first published on August 29, 2015. It was updated on June 28, 2015.