5 ADJ A violent film or television programme contains a lot of scenes which show violence. □ It was the most violent film that I have ever seen. SYNONYMS violent ADJ
1
bloodthirsty: They were savage and bloodthirsty.
brutaclass="underline" He was the victim of a very brutal murder.
vicious: He suffered a vicious attack by a gang of white youths.
savage: This was a savage attack on a defenceless young girl.
aggressive: Some children are much more aggressive than others.
2
devastating: The city of Ormac took the full force of the winds and devastating floods.
raging: The field trip involved crossing a raging torrent.
wild: The wild weather did not deter some people from swimming in the sea.
vio|let /va I əl I t/ (violets )
1 N‑COUNT A violet is a small plant that has purple or white flowers in the spring.
2 COLOUR Something that is violet is a bluish-purple colour. □ The light was beginning to drain from a violet sky.
3 PHRASE If you say that someone is no shrinking violet , you mean that they are not at all shy. □ When it comes to expressing himself he is no shrinking violet.
vio|lin /va I əl I n/ (violins ) N‑VAR A violin is a musical instrument. Violins are made of wood and have four strings. You play the violin by holding it under your chin and moving a bow across the strings. □ Lizzie used to play the violin.
vio|lin|ist /va I əl I n I st/ (violinists ) N‑COUNT A violinist is someone who plays the violin.
VIP /viː a I piː / (VIPs ) N‑COUNT A VIP is someone who is given better treatment than ordinary people because they are famous, influential, or important. VIP is an abbreviation for 'very important person'.
vi|per /va I pə r / (vipers ) N‑COUNT A viper is a small poisonous snake found mainly in Europe.
vi|ral /va I ə rəl/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A viral disease or infection is caused by a virus. □ …a 65-year-old patient suffering from severe viral pneumonia.
2 ADJ A viral film clip, story, or message is one that spreads quickly because people share it on social media and send it to each other. □ [go +ADJ ] The Facebook post soon went viral. □ …viral videos.
vir|gin /vɜː r dʒ I n/ (virgins )
1 N‑COUNT A virgin is someone who has never had sex. □ I was a virgin until I was thirty years old.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] You use virgin to describe something such as land that has never been used or spoiled. □ Within 40 years there will be no virgin forest left.
3 PHRASE If you say that a situation is virgin territory , you mean that you have no experience of it and it is completely new for you.
4 N‑COUNT [oft n N ] You can use virgin to describe someone who has never done or used a particular thing before. □ Until he appeared in 'In the Line of Fire', the actor had been an action-movie virgin.
vir|gin|al /vɜː r dʒ I n ə l/
1 ADJ If you describe someone as virginal , you mean that they look young and innocent, as if they have had no experience of sex. □ Somehow she'd always been a child in his mind, pure and virginal.
2 ADJ Something that is virginal looks new and clean, as if it has not been used or spoiled. □ …abandoning worn-out land to cultivate virginal pasture.
vir|gin|ity /və r dʒ I n I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT Virginity is the state of never having had sex. □ She lost her virginity when she was 20. ● PHRASE When you lose your virginity , you have sex for the first time.
Vir|go /vɜː r goʊ/ (Virgos )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Virgo is one of the twelve signs of the zodiac. Its symbol is a young woman. People who are born approximately between the 23rd of August and the 22nd of September come under this sign.
2 N‑COUNT A Virgo is a person whose sign of the zodiac is Virgo.
vir|ile /v I ra I l, [AM ] -r ə l/
1 ADJ If you describe a man as virile , you mean that he has the qualities that a man is traditionally expected to have, such as strength and sexual power. □ He wanted his sons to become strong, virile, and athletic like himself. ● vi|ril|ity /v I r I l I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ Children are also considered proof of a man's virility.
2 ADJ Something that is described as virile is considered to be very strong and forceful. [LITERARY ] □ …Prokofiev's most virile, aggressive music.
vir|tual /vɜː r tʃuəl/
1 ADJ [ADJ n] You can use virtual to indicate that something is so nearly true that for most purposes it can be regarded as true. □ Argentina came to a virtual standstill while the game was being played. □ …conditions of virtual slavery.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Virtual objects and activities are generated by a computer to simulate real objects and activities. [COMPUTING ] □ The site provided a virtual meeting place for activists. ● vir|tu|al|ity N‑UNCOUNT □ People speculate about virtuality systems, but we're already working on it.
vir|tu|al|ly ◆◇◇ /vɜː r tʃuəli/ ADV You can use virtually to indicate that something is so nearly true that for most purposes it can be regarded as true. □ Virtually all cooking was done over coal-fired ranges. □ It would have been virtually impossible to research all the information. SYNONYMS virtually ADV