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Webster's New World College Dictionary » violence
violence
violence definition
vio·lence (vī′ə ləns)
noun
- physical force used so as to injure, damage, or destroy; extreme roughness of action
- intense, often devastatingly or explosively powerful force or energy, as of a hurricane or volcano
- unjust or callous use of force or power, as in violating another's rights, sensibilities, etc.
- the harm done by this
- great force or strength of feeling, conduct, or expression; vehemence; fury
- a twisting or wrenching of a sense, phrase, etc., so as to distort the original or true sense or form to do violence to a text
- an instance of violence; violent act or deed
Etymology: ME < MFr < L violentia < violentus: see violent
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