[noun] [U]The severity and virulence (= danger and speed of spreading) of the disease are causing great concern in medical circles.(formal) We are witnessing racism of a virulence (= strength of hatred and opposition) that we haven't seen in Europe since the 1940s.
VIRULENCE
Meaning of VIRULENCE in English
Cambridge English vocab. Кембриджский английский словарь. 2012