Antonyms for virile
ˈvɪr əl; esp. Brit. -aɪlvir·ile

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. virileadjective

   Antonyms:
   nonvirile

2. virileadjective

   Antonyms:
   nonvirile

3. virileadjective

   Antonyms:
   nonvirile

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. virile

   We apply male to the sex, masculine to the qualities, especially to the stronger, hardier, and more imperious qualities that distinguish the male sex; as applied to women, masculine has often the depreciatory sense of unwomanly, rude, or harsh; as, a masculine face or voice, or the like; tho one may say in a commendatory way, she acted with masculine courage or decision. Manlike may mean only having the outward appearance or semblance of a man, or may be closely equivalent to manly. Manly refers to all the qualities and traits worthy of a man; manful, especially to the valor and prowess that become a man; we speak of a manful struggle, manly decision; we say manly gentleness or tenderness; we could not say manful tenderness. Mannish is a depreciatory word referring to the mimicry or parade of some superficial qualities of manhood; as, a mannish boy or woman. Masculine may apply to the distinctive qualities of the male sex at any age; virile applies to the distinctive qualities of mature manhood only, as opposed not only to feminine or womanly but to childish, and is thus an emphatic word for sturdy, intrepid, etc.

   See synonyms for FEMININE.

   Synonyms:
   male, manful, manlike, manly, mannish, masculine

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. virile

   Antonyms:
   feeble, debile, puerile, effeminate, emasculate

   Synonyms:
   manly, masculine, robust, nervous, vigorous

Princeton's WordNetRate these antonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. virileadjective

   characterized by energy and vigor

   "a virile and ever stronger free society"; "a new and virile leadership"

   Antonyms:
   feminine, weak

   Synonyms:
   potent, manful, male, manly, manlike

2. male, manful, manlike, manly, virileadjective

   characteristic of a man

   "a deep male voice"; "manly sports"

   Antonyms:
   feminine, weak

   Synonyms:
   anthropoid, potent, manful, male, manly, manlike

3. potent, virileadjective

   (of a male) capable of copulation

   Antonyms:
   feminine, weak

   Synonyms:
   manlike, potent, strong, stiff, male, manly, powerful, manful

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. virileadjective

   Antonyms:
   invirile, emasculated, impotent

   Synonyms:
   masculine, vigorous, strong, potent

How to use virile in a sentence?

1. Charles Cooley:

   It is surely a matter of common observation that a man who knows no one thing intimately has no views worth hearing on things in general. The farmer philosophizes in terms of crops, soils, markets, and implements, the mechanic generalizes his experiences of wood and iron, the seaman reaches similar conclusions by his own special road; and if the scholar keeps pace with these it must be by an equally virile productivity.

2. Andrew Marr:

   Just months after my return home, I, a 32-year-old once-virile male, was experiencing libido issues, we already had four children, waiting on our fifth, and my wife was thinking, ‘We have an enormous problem here. He doesn’t love me anymore.’ I didn’t know what was happening to me. I thought I just needed time.

3. Alfred Jarry:

   The theater, bringing impersonal masks to life, is only for those who are virile enough to create new life: either as a conflict of passions subtler than those we already know, or as a complete new character.

4. Susan Sontag:

   What is most beautiful in virile men is something feminine what is most beautiful in feminine women is something masculine.

5. Susan Sontag, Against Interpretation, 1966:

   What is most beautiful in virile men is something feminine; what is most beautiful in feminine women is something masculine.

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