virulence

virulence
    n 1: extreme harmfulness (as the capacity of a microorganism to
         cause disease); "the virulence of the plague" [syn:
         {virulence}, {virulency}]
    2: extreme hostility; "the virulence of the malicious old man"
       [syn: {virulence}, {virulency}]
    

Virulence \Vir"u*lence\, Virulency \Vir"u*len*cy\, n. [Cf. F.
   virulence, L. virulentia an offensive odor, a stench.]
   1. The quality or state of being virulent or venomous;
      poisonousness; malignancy.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Extreme bitterness or malignity of disposition. "Refuted
      without satirical virulency." --Barrow.
      [1913 Webster]

            The virulence of one declaimer, or the profundities
            and sublimities of the other.         --I. Taylor.
      [1913 Webster]
    

181 Moby Thesaurus words for "virulence":
      acerbity, acid, acidity, acidulousness, acridity, acrimony,
      acuteness, amperage, animality, animosity, animus, antagonism,
      armipotence, asperity, astringency, atrocity, authority, bad blood,
      balefulness, banefulness, barbarity, beef, bile, bite,
      bitter feeling, bitter resentment, bitterness,
      bitterness of spirit, black power, bloodlust, brutality,
      brute force, causticity, charge, charisma, choler, clout, cogence,
      cogency, communicability, compulsion, contagiousness, deadliness,
      destructiveness, detrimentalness, dint, drive, duress, edge,
      effect, effectiveness, effectuality, energy, extremity, fatality,
      ferociousness, feud, fierceness, flower power, force,
      force majeure, forcefulness, full blast, full force, furiousness,
      gall, gnashing of teeth, grip, hard feelings, harmfulness,
      harshness, hatred, heartburning, hostility, hurtfulness, ill blood,
      ill feeling, ill will, impetuosity, inclemency, infectiousness,
      infectivity, influence, inhumanity, injuriousness, intensity,
      keenness, lethality, main force, main strength, malevolence,
      malice, maliciousness, malignance, malignancy, malignity, mana,
      mercilessness, might, might and main, mightiness, mindlessness,
      mischievousness, mordacity, mordancy, mortality, moxie,
      murderousness, muscle power, noisomeness, noxiousness, ominousness,
      perniciousness, pitilessness, pizzazz, poignancy, point, poison,
      poisonousness, poop, potence, potency, potentiality, power,
      power pack, power structure, power struggle, powerfulness,
      prepotency, productiveness, productivity, puissance, pull, punch,
      push, rancor, rankling, resentment, rigor, roughness, savagery,
      severity, sharpness, sinew, slow burn, soreness, sourness, spite,
      spleen, steam, sting, strength, stridency, stringency, strong arm,
      superiority, superpower, tartness, teeth, terrorism, toxicity,
      trenchancy, ungentleness, unhealthiness, validity, vandalism,
      vehemence, vendetta, venom, venomousness, viciousness, vigor, vim,
      violence, virility, virtue, virulency, vitality, vitriol, wattage,
      weight