vicious

[ vish-uhs ]

/ ˈvɪʃ əs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vicious ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

addicted to or characterized by vice; grossly immoral; depraved; profligate: a vicious life.

given or readily disposed to evil: a vicious criminal.

reprehensible; blameworthy; wrong: a vicious deception.

spiteful; malicious: vicious gossip; a vicious attack.

unpleasantly severe: a vicious headache.

characterized or marred by faults or defects; faulty; unsound: vicious reasoning.

savage; ferocious: They all feared his vicious temper.

(of an animal) having bad habits or a cruel or fierce disposition: a vicious bull.

Archaic. morbid, foul, or noxious.

Nearby words

vichyite, vichyssoise, vicinage, vicinal, vicinity, vicious, vicious circle, vicissitude, vick, vickers, vickers number

Origin of vicious

1300–50; Middle English (< Anglo-French) < Latin vitiōsus, equivalent to viti(um) fault, vice¹ + -ōsus -ous

SYNONYMS FOR vicious

1 abandoned, corrupt, iniquitous, sinful.

4 malevolent.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vicious ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR vicious

1 moral.

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Related forms

vi·cious·ly, adverbvi·cious·ness, nounun·vi·cious, adjectiveun·vi·cious·ly, adverb

un·vi·cious·ness, noun

Can be confused

vicious viscose viscous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for viciously

The best that can be said for these budding radicals is that at least they sincerely hate the thing they so viciously attack.
An Ivy League Frat Boy’s Shallow Repentance|Stefan Beck|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“They treated me like an alien,” she says, explaining that North Koreans are viciously stereotyped in South Korea.
How ‘Titanic ’Helped This Brave Young Woman Escape North Korea’s Totalitarian State|Lizzie Crocker|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nor is it where the gunman then viciously pistol whips his victim repeatedly for having the temerity not to die.
Bronx Gunman Shot His Friend, Didn’t Spill His Drink|Michael Daly|August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And in the 1950s, China policy was what Israel policy is today: a deeply ideological, viciously partisan issue.
Why Doesn’t Anyone Care About the Rising U.S.-China Tension?|Peter Beinart|December 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST

And in contrast to congressional Democrats, who remain united, congressional Republicans are sniping at each other viciously.
Dems, Seize the Moment and Negotiate Now|Peter Beinart|October 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And viciously with her fan she struck one of the cloister pillars.
Zuleika Dobson|Max Beerbohm
He slammed his big fist against the side of the bunk so viciously that it seemed to jar the cabin.
A Man to His Mate|J. Allan Dunn
Why did you wickedly and viciously send the Rain of Stones to crack and break our houses?
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz|L. Frank Baum
Furneaux pounded the table so viciously that the cups rattled.
Number Seventeen|Louis Tracy
The woman advanced swiftly and looked down at the bird, which, pinned under the boy's arm, snapped at her viciously.
The Wonder of War on Land|Francis Rolt-Wheeler

British Dictionary definitions for viciously

vicious

/ (ˈvɪʃəs) /

adjective

wicked or cruel; villainousa vicious thug

characterized by violence or ferocitya vicious blow

informal unpleasantly severe; harsha vicious wind

characterized by malicevicious lies

(esp of dogs, horses, etc) ferocious or hostile; dangerous

characterized by or leading to vice

invalidated by defects; unsounda vicious inference

obsolete noxious or morbida vicious exhalation

Derived Forms

viciously, adverbviciousness, noun

Word Origin for vicious

C14: from Old French vicieus, from Latin vitiōsus full of faults, from vitium a defect

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

vicious

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of vicious

SYNONYMS FOR vicious

ANTONYMS FOR vicious

Related forms

Can be confused

Examples from the Web for viciously

British Dictionary definitions for viciously

vicious

adjective

Derived Forms

Word Origin for vicious