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vicious

[ vish-uhs ]
/ ˈvɪʃ əs /
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See synonyms for: vicious / viciously / viciousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
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Origin of vicious

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English or directly from Anglo-French, from Latin vitiōsus, equivalent to viti(um) “fault, defect, vice” (see vice1) + -ōsus -ous

OTHER WORDS FROM vicious

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH vicious

vicious , viscose, viscous
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use vicious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for vicious

vicious
/ (ˈvɪʃəs) /

adjective

Derived forms of vicious

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
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