ˈvīələn(t)s sometimes ˈvīl- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French, from Latin violentia, from violentus violent + -ia -y
1.
a. : exertion of any physical force so as to injure or abuse (as in warfare or in effecting an entrance into a house)
b. : an instance of violent treatment or procedure
2. : injury in the form of revoking, repudiation, distortion, infringement, or irreverence to a thing, notion, or quality fitly valued or observed
no violence has been done to expert military opinion — Sir Winston Churchill
did unconscious violence to the instincts of the mystic — V.L.Parrington
3.
a. : intense, turbulent, or furious action, force, or feeling often destructive
the violence of volcanic eruption — R.W.Livingstone
hurled himself around the corner … with almost drunken violence — Liam O'Flaherty
b. : vehement feeling or expression : fervor , passion , fury
the violence of a fluent orator whose temper ran away with him — V.A.Froude
violence such as the normally placid New York art critics seldom resort to — R.M.Coates
c. : an instance or show of such action or feeling : a tendency to violent action
the mounting violences of the Whig rabble against their Tory neighbors — Margaret Evans
d. : clashing, jarring, discordant, or abrupt quality
certain freaks and violences in Mr. Palgrave's criticism — Matthew Arnold
the violence of the contrasting colors
4. : undue alteration of wording or sense (as in editing or interpreting a text)
Synonyms: see force