virulence
noun
, ˈvir-yə-
\
Definition of virulence
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Synonyms for virulence
Synonyms
acidity, acidness, acridity, acridness, acrimony, asperity, bile, bitterness, cattiness, corrosiveness, mordancy, tartness, virulency, vitriol
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Examples of virulence in a Sentence
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But NotPetya’s virulence wasn’t contained by national borders. — Andy Greenberg, WIRED, "The WIRED Guide to Cyberwar," 23 Aug. 2019 Like the outbreak of AIDS in the 1980s, polio’s eruption caused fear because its vectors of transmission were poorly understood, its virulence uncertain, and its repercussions unlike other illnesses. — Alexander B. Joy, The Atlantic, "Candy Land Was Invented for Polio Wards," 28 July 2019 And this particular bias has infected contemporary political analysis with a virulence that rivals Ebola. — Elizabeth Spiers, The New Republic, "Beyond Pelosi," 24 July 2019 These strains arise when the weakened live virus used in the oral polio vaccine (OPV) mutates and regains its virulence. — Leslie Roberts, Science | AAAS, "Surging cases have dashed all hope that polio might be eradicated in 2019," 10 July 2019 That would start everything all over again: a new strain, with new virulence. — Michael Greshko, National Geographic, "Amphibian 'apocalypse' caused by most destructive pathogen ever," 28 Mar. 2019 Given the extreme virulence of those diseases, the apparent rarity of cross-species transmission seemed fortunate. — Quanta Magazine, "Viruses Would Rather Jump to New Hosts Than Evolve With Them," 13 Sep. 2017 Other pathogens facing similar challenges tend to evolve smaller genomes and greater virulence. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Ancient DNA reveals the secrets of a devastating European disease," 26 Sep. 2018 Underlying his analysis are the dynamics of virulence and coexistence: Evolutionary pressures favor organisms that increase their own chances of survival by not rapidly killing their hosts, thereby maximizing their chances of being spread. — William F. Bynum, WSJ, "‘Between Hope and Fear’ Review: Anxieties Immune to Reason," 16 Aug. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'virulence.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for virulence
virulence
noun
\
Medical Definition of virulence
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