vir·ile

(vîr′əl, -īl′)

adj.

1. Of, relating to, or having the characteristics of an adult male, especially in having the ability to have sexual intercourse.

2. Masculine in a robust way; manly: "[He] was a man of action, a virile director who brought out the best in the screenplay" (Jeffrey Meyers).

3. Energetic or forceful: a virile performance of the concerto.

[Middle English, from Old French viril, from Latin virīlis, from vir, man; see wī-ro- in Indo-European roots.]

vi·ril′i·ty (və-rĭl′ĭ-tē) n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

vi•ril•i•ty

(vəˈrɪl ɪ ti)

n.

the state or quality of being virile; manly character, vigor, or spirit; masculinity.

[1580–90; < Latin]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	virility - the masculine property of being capable of copulation and procreation maleness, masculinity - the properties characteristic of the male sex
	2.	virility - the trait of being manly; having the characteristics of an adult male manfulness, manliness masculinity - the trait of behaving in ways considered typical for men

virility

noun masculinity, manhood, potency, vigour, machismo Children are considered a proof of a man's virility.
impotence, effeminacy, unmanliness, weakness, femininity, softness

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

virilit...

vyriškumas

virilitet

virility

[vɪˈrɪlɪtɪ] N → virilidad f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

virility

[vɪˈrɪləti] n → virilité f

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

virility

n (lit) → Männlichkeit f; (= sexual power) → Potenz f; (fig) → Ausdruckskraft f; political virility → politische Potenz

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

virility

[vɪˈrɪlɪtɪ] n → virilità

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

vi·ril·i·ty

n. virilidad.

1. potencia sexual;

2. estado de poseer características masculinas.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

virility

n virilidad f

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

It was fresh--the smoke-curing had just begun--and, save for the closed eyes, all the sullen handsomeness and animal virility of the boy, as Joan had known it, was still to be seen in the monstrous thing that twisted and dangled in the eddying smoke.

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Young yet, barely thirty-six, eminently handsome, magnificently strong, almost bursting with a splendid virility, his free trail-stride, never learned on pavements, and his black eyes, hinting of great spaces and unwearied with the close perspective of the city dwellers, drew many a curious and wayward feminine glance.

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A man who has been through hell does not boast of his virility. He is humble and hides it, if, indeed, it still exists.

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Standing in the doorway and glancing round me, I had a general impression of extraordinary comfort and elegance combined with an atmosphere of masculine virility. Everywhere there were mingled the luxury of the wealthy man of taste and the careless untidiness of the bachelor.

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Ward is most successful in female portraiture, her own mind and culture have an unmistakable virility and grasp and scientific firmness.

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At the same time a wave of intense virility seemed to surge out from him and impinge upon her.

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He was in perfect condition, without an ounce of superfluous flesh, and the one hundred and fifty pounds that he weighed were so many pounds of grit and virility. His furry coat shone with the sheen of silk.

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The jaw, the chin, the brow rising to a goodly height and swelling heavily above the eyes,--these, while strong in themselves, unusually strong, seemed to speak an immense vigour or virility of spirit that lay behind and beyond and out of sight.

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That leap from the failing carriage seemed to have used up his last virility. He had held back in a hang-dog style when his son and Muscari had made a bold movement to break out of the brigand trap.

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But it was a robustness in a finer than the wonted sense, a vigorous daintiness, it might be called, which gave an impression of virility with none of the womanly left out.

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Therefore it must have been his bodily appearance, exhibiting a virility of nature as exaggerated as his beard, and resembling a sort of constant ruthlessness.

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The grip of her strong, shapely hand had a seductive frankness, a sort of exquisite virility. I do not know why she should have felt so friendly to me.

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