vehement

ve·he·ment

adj \ˈvē-ə-mənt\

Definition of VEHEMENT

: marked by forceful energy : powerful <a vehement wind>: as a : intensely emotional : impassioned, fervid <vehement patriotism> b (1) : deeply felt <a vehement suspicion> (2) : forcibly expressed <vehement denunciations> c : bitterly antagonistic <a vehement debate>

— ve·he·ment·ly adverb

Examples of VEHEMENT

1. He issued a vehement denial of the accusation.
2. The proposal has faced vehement opposition from many teachers.
3. She was vehement about the need for new safety measures.
4. Cranes rise above the old rooftops, adding new office towers and new condominiums and new malls to a city where Jonathan Swift once issued his vehement bulletins. —Pete Hamill, Gourmet, April 2007
5. As they shouted and mocked, I wondered how they could have developed such intense, vehement hatred toward people with whom they had had no previous contact. —Todd Hechtman, The News/Sun-Sentinel, 1 Feb. 1987
6. He cursed himself like a less scrupulous Job, as a vehement man will do when he loses self-respect, the last mental prop under poverty. —Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge, 1886
7. Both the ladies indulged in vehement screaming for several minutes; and Mr. Cymon Tuggs, besides sustaining intense bodily pain, had the additional mental anguish of witnessing their distressing situation, without having the power to rescue them, by reason of his leg being firmly screwed in between the animal and the wall. —Charles Dickens, Sketches by “Boz”, 1836

Origin of VEHEMENT

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin vehement-, vehemens, vement-, vemens

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to VEHEMENT

Synonyms: aggressive, assertive, dynamic, energetic, forceful, full-blooded, muscular, resounding, strenuous, emphatic, vigorous, violent

Antonyms: nonassertive, nonemphatic, unemphatic

Related Words: decided, insistent, marked, pointed; absolute, categorical (also categoric), clear, plain, unambiguous, unequivocal; arresting, compelling, conspicuous, impelling, noticeable, striking

Near Antonyms: guarded, mild, uncompelling, weak, wishy-washy; ambiguous, equivocal, halting, hesitant; understated

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