vile
Americanadjective
-
wretchedly bad.
a vile humor.
- Antonyms:
- good
-
highly offensive, unpleasant, or objectionable.
vile slander.
-
repulsive or disgusting, as to the senses or feelings.
a vile odor.
- Synonyms:
- repellent
-
morally debased, depraved, or despicable.
vile deeds.
- Synonyms:
- iniquitous, evil, vicious
- Antonyms:
- elevated
-
foul; filthy.
vile language.
-
poor; wretched.
vile workmanship.
-
of mean or low condition.
a vile beggar.
-
menial; lowly.
vile tasks.
-
degraded; ignominious.
vile servitude.
- Synonyms:
- contemptible
-
of little value or account; paltry.
a vile recompense.
- Synonyms:
- trifling, trivial, contemptible
adjective
-
abominably wicked; shameful or evil
the vile development of slavery appalled them
-
morally despicable; ignoble
vile accusations
-
disgusting to the senses or emotions; foul
a vile smell
vile epithets
-
tending to humiliate or degrade
only slaves would perform such vile tasks
-
unpleasant or bad
vile weather
-
paltry
a vile reward
Synonym Usage
See mean 2.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vile
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English vil, from Old French, from Latin vīlis “of little worth, base, cheap”
Explanation
Surely only an evil person could be so vile as to have made you so angry. Vile is something or someone so morally wrong or offensive as to be thoroughly disgusting. Are you appalled by someone’s sordid, despicable, ugly and just generally awful behavior? Then it’s probably vile, too. One of those dramatic adjectives with many synonyms, the word vile is not only used to describe a person or an action that is morally reprehensible; it can describe a smell that is so bad as to be practically morally reprehensible — or something else that offends your senses enough to make you nauseous. Those three month old dirty gym socks? They’re vile!
Vocabulary lists containing vile
100 Words to Make You Sound Smart
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act III
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Xavier, a vile keyboard warrior, thinks he might have hooked a politician in rural Murphy, Texas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
Ms. Hodge is wonderfully vile as Miriam and her counterpart, Lady Margaret Chalfont.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Part of their story, then, is that it’s a vile myth that pregnancy and motherhood can be hard on women.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
It comes as Union released testimonies from ambulance workers describing the difficult and "vile" conditions they have had to work in.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
If they could reverse the flow—make the horrors of slavery visible to those who benefited from it—they might be able to end the vile practice forever.
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
Presidents, there was "no viler oaf" than Woodrow Wilson.
From Time Magazine Archive
Life calls for adjectives that mean better than best, viler than vile, cooler than cool.
From Time Magazine Archive
I have never known a viler or more shameful ease than that that possessed me when it became plain that I could go back on him and he be none the wiser.
From The Tower of Oblivion by Oliver [pseud.] Onions
But even though its success were assured, might not the success be worse than failure, and viler to him than the most ignoble defeat?
From The Truth About Tristrem Varick A Novel by Edgar Saltus
This is not to say that he practised the vile art of adaptation or the viler art of paraphrase, or in any way filched from the mighty epic of Roncesvalles.
From Legends & Romances of Spain by Lewis Spence
Sit in front of a screen and suffer an endless stream of the vilest videos the internet can offer, approving or denying each clip’s right to stay on a given platform.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
Those who wield hate for personal ambition are among the vilest of human beings.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2024
Generations of Americans have held firm to a version of free speech that makes room for even the vilest of views.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 12, 2024
They invite our scorn, which is not to say they are immune to our pity: Even the vilest character turns out to be in the grip of a deeply misguided longing for transcendence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2020
His eyes snapped open and looked at her, and there was nothing but loathing there, nothing but the vilest contempt.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
