wicked
Americanadjective
-
evil or morally bad in principle or practice; sinful; iniquitous.
wicked people;
wicked habits.
- Synonyms:
- villainous, infamous, heinous, dissolute, depraved, corrupt, profligate, immoral, blasphemous, profane, impious, godless, ungodly, unrighteous
-
mischievous or playfully malicious.
These wicked kittens upset everything.
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distressingly severe, as a storm, wound, or cold.
a wicked winter.
-
passing reasonable bounds; intolerably bad.
wicked prices;
a wicked exam.
-
having a bad disposition; ill-natured; mean.
a wicked horse.
-
spiteful; malevolent; vicious.
a wicked tongue.
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extremely troublesome or dangerous.
wicked roads.
-
a wicked odor.
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Slang. wonderful; great; masterful; deeply satisfying.
He blows a wicked trumpet.
adverb
adjective
-
-
morally bad in principle or practice
-
( as collective noun; preceded by the )
the wicked
-
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mischievous or roguish, esp in a playful way
a wicked grin
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causing injury or harm
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troublesome, unpleasant, or offensive
-
slang very good
Usage
What are other ways to say wicked?
Someone or something wicked is morally bad in principle or practice. But calling someone or something wicked isn’t quite the same as calling them bad, evil, or ill. Find out why on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wicked
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English wikked, equivalent to wikke “bad” (representing adjective use of Old English wicca “wizard”; cf. witch) + -ed -ed 3
Explanation
Wicked has two quite contradictory meanings. If something is pure evil, then it is wicked. Think Darth Vader. On the other hand, as an informal slang term, wicked also means excellent — as in "that DJ is wicked, man!" Go figure. Other shades of meaning for wicked include something that is playful or enjoyably malicious. Someone might have a wicked sense of humor, for example, meaning it's fierce and takes aim sharply at its victims. Or it can also mean something that, while not actively evil, is still extremely unpleasant. Exams can be wicked, and so can someone's temper or the weather. The word comes from the Old English term wicca meaning "wizard."
Vocabulary lists containing wicked
Oh, No! Synonyms for "Bad"
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Macbeth's "Is this a dagger..." soliloquy
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"Frankenstein" and "How Frankenstein Began"
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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.
And even “The Lost Boys,” perhaps the most ambitious new musical of the season, takes its inspiration from a cult genre film that serves as a time capsule of the wicked 1980s.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
Anthropic postponing the release of its new AI model Claude Mythos, said to be so skilled at coding it could be a wicked weapon for hackers, has encountered a mix of alarm and skepticism.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
It wants to be wicked and outrageous but it’s really just dismal and depressing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
Colombian Diaz, a wiley mix of wicked dribbles, relentless running and potent finishing, ranks among the top players in Europe's major leagues for goals, assists, open-play chances created and attempted dribbles.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
Frannie Thompson had been wicked cruel about my being an orphan, and one day I couldn’t let it go.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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.
