virile
adjective
vir·ileˈvir-əl 
ˈvir-ˌī(-ə)l
ˈvir-ˌī(-ə)l British alsoˈvī(-ə)r-ˌī(-ə)l
1
a
:having traditionally masculine traits especially to a marked degree
b
:characteristic of or associated with men:masculine
2
:having the nature, properties, or qualities of an adult male
specifically:capable of functioning as a male in copulation
virilelyadverb
Synonyms ofvirile
Examples ofvirile in a Sentence
men were once expected to be interested only in suchvirile activities as hunting
Recent Examples on the WebAmerica is strong, America isvirile.—
David Remnick,New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026And 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 surprisinglyvirile.—Bilge Ebiri,Vulture, 16 Dec. 2025Rather than prizing animals for their beauty, theirviriletraits or their straight-up cool characteristics, frogposting is all about vulnerable animals—the dweebs of the animal kingdom.—Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2025All research seems to indicate that this back-to-back joke from 1985 was the lodestar for the meme of a socially inept teen feigningvirileworldliness with a gal in America's northern neighbor country.—Jordan Hoffman Updated,EW.com, 2 Aug. 2025See All Example Sentences forvirile
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.
David Remnick,New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026And 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 surprisinglyvirile.—Bilge Ebiri,Vulture, 16 Dec. 2025Rather than prizing animals for their beauty, theirviriletraits or their straight-up cool characteristics, frogposting is all about vulnerable animals—the dweebs of the animal kingdom.—Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2025All research seems to indicate that this back-to-back joke from 1985 was the lodestar for the meme of a socially inept teen feigningvirileworldliness with a gal in America's northern neighbor country.—Jordan Hoffman Updated,EW.com, 2 Aug. 2025See All Example Sentences forvirileWord History
Etymology
Middle French or Latin; Middle Frenchviril, from Latinvirilis, fromvir man, male; akin to Old English & Old High Germanwer man, Sanskritvīra
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined atsense 2
Time Traveler
The first known use ofvirile was in the 15th centuryBrowse Nearby Words
Cite this Entry
“Virile.”Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/virile. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
virile
adjectivevir·ileˈvir-əl ˈvi(ə)r-ˌīl
ˈvi(ə)r-ˌīl 1
a
:having the nature, powers, or qualities of an adult male:masculine
b
:having traditionally masculine qualities especially to a noticeable degree
Etymology
from early Frenchviril "having the qualities of a man," from Latinvirilis (same meaning), fromvir "man, male" — related tovirtue
Medical Definition
virile
adjectivevir·ile
ˈvir-əl, ˈvi(ə)r-ˌīl, British also ˈvī(ə)r-ˌīl
1
:having the nature, properties, or qualities of an adult male
specifically:capable of functioning as a male in copulation
2
:characteristic of or associated with men:masculine
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