This week we continue our vocabulary-building series, “The Closing Word.” Each week we provide a new word to help build your vocabulary and show you an example of how to use it.
This week’s closing word:
Pronounced: (VEER-ih-lent)
Adjective:
1. extremely poisonous or injurious; producing venom,
2. infectious; having the ability to cause disease,
3. harsh or corrosive in tone
From Vocabulary.com: “Two meanings come out of the roots for virulent: one being “poisonous” and the other, “spiteful.” The virus-carrying meaning of virulent often gets combined with strain, such as in a “virulent strain of the flu.” Those who aren’t carrying disease but are still considered virulent most likely lash out at others with a biting tone. Unleashing acid-tongued words on someone would be considered a virulent attack.”
Example:
“I urged my clients to keep cool during negotiations, but one particularly virulent email message nearly ruined the chance of a deal.”
