# choose violence

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/choose-violence
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To disrespect or insult someone in a particularly audacious and unexpected manner.

## Examples

- He chose violence when he insulted his boss during the meeting.
- My sister chooses violence by criticizing my new haircut in front of our friends.
- You choose violence every time you mention how much money I spent on this car.
- When she told her brother that his favorite movie was boring, she really chose violence.
- You really chose violence when you told the chef that the soup needed much more salt and pepper.
- He chose violence today by posting a very rude comment on his best friend's new vacation photo.
- By publicly mocking the professor's life work in front of his peers, the student clearly chose violence.

## Origin

According to Know Your Meme, first used in the idiomatic sense in a tweet posted June 21, 2019 by @mtheadnothought: "azealia banks wakes up every morning and chooses violence tbh the dedication is outstanding", itself inspired by line of dialogue in the 2016 Game of Thrones episode "No One" (see I choose violence).

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.