VIRILE Synonyms: 33 Similar and Opposite Words

virile

adjective

ˈvir-əl

Definition of virile

as in male

of, relating to, or marked by qualities traditionally associated with men men were once expected to be interested only in such virile activities as hunting

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of virile Hundreds of frat boys came out to watch a head-to-head match between the effluvia of USC’s and UCLA’s most virile students, moving through a plastic maze. — Sam Kriss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026 America is strong, America is virile. — David Remnick, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026 And the possibility of a virile and serious and seriously taken black man—all three—is ignored in virtually the entire world of Cather’s and Hemingway’s fiction. — Literary Hub, 3 Feb. 2026 Rather than prizing animals for their beauty, their virile traits or their straight-up cool characteristics, frogposting is all about vulnerable animals—the dweebs of the animal kingdom. — Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for virile

Recent Examples of Synonyms for virile

Adjective

Krantz said the suspect, a male city resident who has not yet been publicly identified, was spotted entering the school by a community member, who eventually pursued him into the school and shot him.

— Chad de Guzman, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Across the 9,000 teens surveyed, 43 percent were female and 56 percent were male.

— Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of male

Adjective

If my partner’s former view of mattresses was distinctly masculine in origin, perhaps mine is uniquely feminine.

— Jaklin Romine Oct. 15, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Will every student have to get a doctor’s signature, or just masculine girls and feminine boys?

— The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of masculine

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viridity

virile

virility

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“Virile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/virile. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of virile

adjective

Example Sentences

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