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Definition of "virile" []

  • Of, relating to, or having the characteristics of an adult male. (adjective)
  • Having or showing masculine spirit, strength, vigor, or power. See Synonyms at male. (adjective)
  • Capable of performing sexually as a male; potent. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "virile" in a sentence
  • "They've been made to believe that it makes them, what they call virile, poor fools, and they're growing ill on it."
  • "These happen all the time, whether we're aware of them or not, and the notion that something a bit more virile is at work behind these exchanges is always an interesting one."
  • "In 1910 the Royal Canadian Academy sent an exhibition to England and I remember the disappointment expressed in the English papers in expecting to find something breezy and virile from a young country and finding only a tame acceptance of their own convictions."