wicked
Americanadjective
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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
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mischievous or playfully malicious.
These wicked kittens upset everything.
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distressingly severe, as a storm, wound, or cold.
a wicked winter.
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passing reasonable bounds; intolerably bad.
wicked prices;
a wicked exam.
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having a bad disposition; ill-natured; mean.
a wicked horse.
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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
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( 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
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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.
But “Blow Out” goes one step further by bringing Jack and Sally — two unwitting parties to the same wicked plot — together.
From Salon • Jul. 4, 2026
He said what they had been put through by Donaldson's denials was "wicked".
From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026
The first came on a wicked pass from teammate Michael Olise, a running Mbappé slipping past the defense and carving a shot past goalie Édouard Mendy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 17, 2026
"South Africa is a wicked country," said one of the returnees, 45-year-old Emilia Godwin, who has lived in South Africa for 11 years, cooking and selling Nigerian food.
From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026
“Here’s a scrape! Do let me bring that wicked boy over to explain and be lectured. I can’t rest till I get hold of him.”
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
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.
