violence
/ˈvʌɪəl(ə)ns
/noun [mass noun]
1Behaviour involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something: violence erupted in protest marches domestic violence against women the fear of physical violence screen violence...
- The most serious incidents include criminal damage and violence against people.
- What I do not respect however is people who kill or otherwise use violence against people for any reason.
- One act of violence against another is an act of violence against one's self.
Synonyms
brutality, brute force, roughness, ferocity, fierceness, savagery, cruelty, sadism, barbarity, barbarousness, brutishness, murderousness, bloodthirstiness, ruthlessness, inhumanity, heartlessness, pitilessness, mercilessness;
strong-arm tactics
rare ferity
forcefulness, force, full force, power, powerfulness, strength, might, savagery, ferocity, brutality, destructiveness
1.1 Law The unlawful exercise of physical force or intimidation by the exhibition of such force.Each of the people who uses or threatens unlawful violence will be guilty of the offence....
- In other words the receipt of the letter led him to believe that immediate unlawful violence would be used.
- He was alleged to have forced the complainant by violence or threats to engage in sexual activity with him.
2Strength of emotion or of a destructive natural force: the violence of her own feelings...
- No blood is spilled in the book - but its emotional violence is devastating.
- Alarmed by the violence of her sorrow and by being a witness to it, but impatient with the sorrow itself, Ray was a poor pacifier.
- The violence of the wind had lessened - though the air remained redolent with the smell of dust.
Synonyms
intensity, severity, strength, force, great force, vehemence, powerfulness, power, potency, ferocity, forcefulness, wildness, frenziedness, fury, storminess, tempestuousness, turbulence;
lack of control, lack of restraint, passionateness
rare fervency, ardency
Phrases
do violence to
Origin
Middle English: via Old French from Latin violentia, from violent- 'vehement, violent' (see violent).