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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Recent Examples of virile
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
And if the ecological action epic of 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water allowed the flower child side to dominate the auteur’s inner grunt, now the macho warrior re-emerges, hungry and determined and surprisingly virile.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2025
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
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
And if the ecological action epic of 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water allowed the flower child side to dominate the auteur’s inner grunt, now the macho warrior re-emerges, hungry and determined and surprisingly virile.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2025
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
-
The male passenger was hospitalized with gunshot wounds but was expected to survive, officials said.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The operations led to the arrest of a group of male suspects on the 1100 block of McDaniel Avenue, Evanston, on April 25, according to a police news release.—
Claire Murphy,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Everyone has to play their role, the masculine and feminine.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
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Whiskey-making has long been considered a masculine profession in America, a drink exclusively enjoyed by men swirling golden liquid in dark, smoky rooms.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Virile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/virile. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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