How to Use virile in a Sentence

virile

adjective
  • One night, a virile young servant sneaks into the queen’s bed.
    — Andrew Stark, WSJ, 2 July 2021
  • Our language suggests that hot is good and virile, and a sign of life and strength.
    — Molly Taft, The New Republic, 7 Aug. 2023
  • In every case, a strong body is the goal, and most often, that means a virile male body.
    — Derek Beres, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2022
  • All three pups have the same father, a virile male sea lion named Niko.
    — Matt McNulty, PEOPLE.com, 20 June 2019
  • To the younger set, the crisis was a concern for the old and feeble, not the young and virile.
    — Daniel Bice, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2020
  • In the wild, pandas are virile, with sperm counts a hundred times higher than humans.
    — National Geographic, 26 May 2018
  • Thanks to advances in medical science, the virile, balding type may soon go the way of the dodo bird.
    — Wired Staff, WIRED, 15 Mar. 2004
  • The moment, in retrospect, came about from a virile accident.
    — The Washington Post, NOLA.com, 28 Mar. 2018
  • Or was he seduced by his masculine prowess and virile confidence?
    — Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2023
  • Could the name be a sly reference to the female fantasy of the virile pool boy depicted in endless films?
    — Sharon Edelson, Forbes, 26 May 2021
  • Some of them frankly characterized fascism as a more virile expression of their party’s creed.
    — Martin Pugh, Slate Magazine, 14 Apr. 2017
  • Rap battles take the place of duels in this virile production, performed on a set as blank as the pages of a drama that might yet be written.
    — Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2022
  • Sprung from the loins of the virile wellness industry, these next-gen pills and powders bear the seductive trappings of self-care.
    — Jancee Dunn, Allure, 2 Oct. 2018
  • The humpback songs spread horizontally, passing from one virile young thing to the next, like teenage fashions.
    — Alison Gopnik, WSJ, 3 Aug. 2017
  • The need to evolve from a Clamor into a Teo impelled a series of self-consciously virile escapades.
    — Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023
  • Hard bop, in all its virile glory, has a hold on Davis, a supremely adept trombonist for whom the idiom is now as natural as his heartbeat.
    — Steve Davis, The New Yorker, 5 June 2017
  • Next to him, Priebus seems to be an older model of the same White House official, looking back at his younger, more virile self.
    — Ryu Spaeth, New Republic, 28 July 2017
  • America is strong, America is virile.
    — David Remnick, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026
  • The video that sparked the controversy went virile after Faith's brother posted it on Facebook.
    — Kevin McGill, Fox News, 27 Aug. 2018
  • Maddox captures that virile quality of dancing that always set Gene Kelly apart.
    — Theodore P. Mahne, NOLA.com, 31 Jan. 2018
  • None of the show would carry the same effervescence without Armstrong, who at 52 years old is as virile and agile as ever.
    — Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 15 Sep. 2024
  • While virile Martin conformed to the Hollywood template of leading man, nebbishy Lewis was not an easy fit.
    — Carrie Rickey, Philly.com, 20 Aug. 2017
  • Judging by the sporting photos on his campaign website, Kennedy would like to be seen as the virile, athletic and spry choice for the White House.
    — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
  • The young, virile Jack and his radiant wife Jacqueline embodied the American dream and the hopes of a nation.
    — Miriam Velasquez, Orange County Register, 28 May 2017
  • Steve McQueen and his legendary car was, for many young Frenchmen of the '70s, the incarnation of male and virile codes.
    — Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press, 19 Jan. 2018
  • William Jackson Harper is a rom-com minor deity who has more than once been cast as a non-virile Black man in a relationship with a white woman.
    — Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2022
  • The vulnerability of his light, boyish sound also invites you in, even if some opera-goers might prefer the more virile Jonas Kaufmann.
    — David Patrick Stearns, Philly.com, 6 Feb. 2018
  • But only Cooper was nominated Wednesday for his comedic turn as a virile hotshot producer, and the film was passed over completely in the best cast category.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2022
  • Gone was the powerful leader from Themyscira; in her place was a flirtatious woman whose main goals were making the Bat Man feel virile and convincing the men around her to do their jobs.
    — Kelsea Stahler, refinery29.com, 18 Mar. 2021
  • After a faculty party one night, Martha invites the college’s virile new biology professor, Nick, and his vapid wife, Honey, over for a wee-hours drink.
    — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'virile.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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