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Webster 1913 Edition


Violence

Vi′o-lence

,
Noun.
[F., fr. L.
violentia
. See
Violent
.]
1.
The quality or state of being violent; highly excited action, whether physical or moral; vehemence; impetuosity; force.
That seal
You ask with such a
violence
, the king,
Mine and your master, with his own hand gave me.
Shakespeare
All the elements
At least had gone to wrack, disturbed and torn
With the
violence
of this conflict.
Milton.
2.
Injury done to that which is entitled to respect, reverence, or observance; profanation; infringement; unjust force; outrage; assault.
Do
violence
to do man.
Luke iii. 14.
We can not, without offering
violence
to all records, divine and human, deny an universal deluge.
T. Burnet.
Looking down, he saw
The whole earth filled with
violence
.
Milton.
3.
Ravishment; rape; constupration.
To do violence on
,
to attack; to murder.
“She . . . did violence on herself.”
Shak.
To do violence to
,
to outrage; to injure;
as, he
does violence to
his own opinions
.
Syn. – Vehemence; outrage; fierceness; eagerness; violation; infraction; infringement; transgression; oppression.

Vi′o-lence

,
Verb.
T.
To assault; to injure; also, to bring by violence; to compel.
[Obs.]
B. Jonson.

Webster 1828 Edition


Violence

VI'OLENCE

,
Noun.
[L. violentia.]
1.
Physical force; strength of action or motion; as the violence of a storm; the violence of a blow or of a conflict.
2.
Moral force; vehemence. The critic attacked the work with violence.
3.
Outrage; unjust force; crimes of all kinds.
The earth was filled with violence. Gen. 6.
4.
Eagerness; vehemence.
You ask with violence.
5.
Injury; infringement. Offer no violence to the laws, or to the rules of civility.
6.
Injury; hurt.
Do violence to no man. Luke 3.
7.
Ravishment; rape.
To do violence to or on, to attack; to murder.
But, as it seems, did violence on herself.
To do violence to, to outrage; to force; to injure. He does violence to his own opinions.

VI'OLENCE

,
Verb.
T.
To assault; to injure; also, to bring by violence. [Little used.]

Definition 2024


violence

violence

English

Noun

violence (countable and uncountable, plural violences)

  1. Extreme force.
    The violence of the storm, fortunately, was more awesome than destructive.
  2. Action which causes destruction, pain, or suffering.
    • 2013 July 19, Mark Tran, Denied an education by war”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 1:
      One particularly damaging, but often ignored, effect of conflict on education is the proliferation of attacks on schools [] as children, teachers or school buildings become the targets of attacks. Parents fear sending their children to school. Girls are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence.
    We try to avoid violence in resolving conflicts.
  3. Widespread fighting.
    Violence between the government and the rebels continues.
  4. (figuratively) Injustice, wrong.
    The translation does violence to the original novel.
  5. (obsolete) ravishment; rape; violation

Related terms

Hypernyms

Antonyms

Translations

See also


French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin violentia, from adjective violentus, see violent.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /vjɔ.lɑ̃s/
  • Homophone: violences

Noun

violence f (plural violences)

  1. (uncountable) violence
  2. (countable) act of violence

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related terms


Old French

Etymology

Borrowing from Latin violentia.

Noun

violence f (oblique plural violences, nominative singular violence, nominative plural violences)

  1. violence
  2. act of violence