vice

[ vahys ]

/ vaɪs /

See synonyms for: vice / viced / vices / vicing on Thesaurus.com

noun

an immoral or evil habit or practice: The biblical verses cover the vices of boastfulness and pride, miserliness, and hypocrisy.

immoral conduct; depraved or degrading behavior: In the Christian religion there are numerous instances of sudden conversions from a life of vice to one of virtue.

sexual immorality, especially prostitution.

a particular form of depravity.

a fault, defect, or shortcoming: a minor vice in his literary style.

a bad habit, as in a horse.

(initial capital letter) a character in the English morality plays, a personification of general vice or of a particular vice, serving as the buffoon.

Archaic. a physical defect, flaw, or infirmity: In most cases, attempts to relieve the symptoms will be of little avail without at the same time relieving or removing the constitutional vice which has induced this condition.

SYNONYMS FOR vice

1 fault, wrongdoing, wrong, depravity.

2 immorality, sin, iniquity, wickedness, badness, corruptness, corruption.

3 wantonness, degeneracy, licentiousness.

5 stain, blemish, imperfection, flaw, foible, weakness.

See synonyms for vice on Thesaurus.com

ANTONYMS FOR vice

1 virtue.

2 virtue, morality.

See antonyms for vice on Thesaurus.com

QUIZZES

THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST

In our third teacher-created PSAT practice test there are new and unique vocabulary terms you may have never heard of! Can you guess what they mean?

Question 1 of 10

seclusion

a false belief or opinion.

the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid.

the state of being isolated, kept apart, or withdrawn into solitude.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of vice

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin vitium “a fault, defect, vice”

synonym study for vice

See fault.

Definition for vice (2 of 4)

vice²

[ vahys ]

/ vaɪs /

noun, verb (used with object), viced, vic·ing.

vise.

Definition for vice (3 of 4)

vice³

[ vahy-see, -suh, vahys ]

/ ˈvaɪ si, -sə, vaɪs /

preposition

instead of; in the place of: The committee was reorganized, with Mr. Silver, vice Mr. Cooper, as the head.

Origin of vice

First recorded in 1760–70; from Latin: literally, “instead of,” ablative of vicis (genitive; not attested in nominative) “recurring action, turn, interchange, alternation”

Definition for vice (4 of 4)

vice-

a combining form meaning “deputy,” used in the formation of compound words, usually titles of officials who serve in the absence of the official denoted by the base word: viceroy; vice-chancellor.

Origin of vice-

Middle English ≪ Latin vicevice³

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for vice

At once uproarious, raw, and painfully honest, “Discord” unveils the many virtues and vices of these towering icons.
The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson (And Tolstoy and Dickens)|Samuel Fragoso|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Prince Andrew, whatever his other vices may be, does not drink.
The Perils of a Playboy Prince|Tom Sykes|August 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Next, add the vices of a rentier state: laziness, irresponsibility, a sense of entitlement, and ignorance.
It’s Not the USA that Made Libya the Disaster it is Today|Ann Marlowe|August 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He contrasted his vices with those of other congressmen who drank or “snort coke or chase women.”
Tea Party Reindeer Farmer Faces Extinction|Ben Jacobs|July 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Whoever the cocaine was destined for, it is certainly not the first report of vices in Vatican City.
Vatican Vice: Sex, Drugs and Downloads Taint the Image of the Holy See|Barbie Latza Nadeau|March 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When he dies he is praised as a demi-god, and his monument records every thing but his vices.
The Works of William Cowper|William Cowper
His mode of life is imitated by the wealthy natives; his vices are mimicked by every young Bengalee baboo.
Greater Britain|Charles Wentworth Dilke
Seneca said that vices were maladies, among which Zeno catalogued love, as Plato did crime.
Historia Amoris: A History of Love, Ancient and Modern|Edgar Saltus
But these vices of Athens are the vices of all eminent states, monarchic or republican—for they are the vices of the powerful.
Athens: Its Rise and Fall, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Cats often show that they possess some of the vices as well as some of the virtues of human beings.
Stories of Animal Sagacity|W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for vice (1 of 5)

vice¹

/ (vaɪs) /

noun

an immoral, wicked, or evil habit, action, or trait

habitual or frequent indulgence in pernicious, immoral, or degrading practices

a specific form of pernicious conduct, esp prostitution or sexual perversion

a failing or imperfection in character, conduct, etcsmoking is his only vice

pathol obsolete any physical defect or imperfection

a bad trick or disposition, as of horses, dogs, etc

Derived forms of vice

viceless, adjective

Word Origin for vice

C13: via Old French from Latin vitium a defect

British Dictionary definitions for vice (2 of 5)

vice²

often US vise

/ (vaɪs) /

noun

an appliance for holding an object while work is done upon it, usually having a pair of jaws

verb

(tr) to grip (something) with or as if with a vice

Derived forms of vice

vicelike or US viselike, adjective

Word Origin for vice

C15: from Old French vis a screw, from Latin vītis vine, plant with spiralling tendrils (hence the later meaning)

British Dictionary definitions for vice (3 of 5)

vice³

/ (vaɪs) /

adjective

(prenominal) serving in the place of or as a deputy for
(in combination)viceroy

noun

informal a person who serves as a deputy to another

Word Origin for vice

C18: from Latin vice, from vicis interchange