vicious

[ vish-uhs ]

adjective

1. spiteful; malicious:

   vicious gossip;

   a vicious attack.

   Synonyms: malevolent

2. savage; ferocious:

   They all feared his vicious temper.

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

   a vicious bull.

4. unpleasantly severe:

   a vicious headache.

5. addicted to or characterized by vice; grossly immoral; depraved; profligate:

   a vicious life.

   Synonyms: sinful, iniquitous, corrupt, abandoned

   Antonyms: moral

6. given or readily disposed to evil:

   a vicious criminal.

7. reprehensible; blameworthy; wrong:

   a vicious deception.

8. characterized or marred by faults or defects; faulty; unsound:

   vicious reasoning.

9. Archaic. morbid, foul, or noxious.

vicious

/ ˈvɪʃəs /

adjective

1. wicked or cruel; villainous

   a vicious thug

2. characterized by violence or ferocity

   a vicious blow

3. informal.
   unpleasantly severe; harsh

   a vicious wind

4. characterized by malice

   vicious lies

5. (esp of dogs, horses, etc) ferocious or hostile; dangerous
6. characterized by or leading to vice
7. invalidated by defects; unsound

   a vicious inference

8. obsolete.
   noxious or morbid

   a vicious exhalation

Derived Forms

• ˈviciousness, noun
• ˈviciously, adverb

Other Words From

• vicious·ly adverb
• vicious·ness noun
• un·vicious adjective
• un·vicious·ly adverb
• un·vicious·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of vicious¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English or directly from Anglo-French, from Latin vitiōsus, equivalent to viti(um) “fault, defect, vice” ( vice ¹ ) + -ōsus -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of vicious¹

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

Example Sentences

I don't know that the film told me anything I didn't already know but it did remind me of just how vicious Cohn was and how much Trump loved that about him.

From Salon

But her guests were apropos — it fits her music to have something soft yet vicious arriving out of nowhere to claim a lot of attention.

From Los Angeles Times

At one point, she reflects, “I understand now how easy it is to hate them. One vicious act.”

From Salon

He argued in a social media post that Latino politicians were using the term “to appease white rich progressives who think that is the term we use. It is a vicious circle of confirmation bias.”

From Los Angeles Times

We have seen a vicious attack on women’s civil rights and their place in civic life, with some on the far right suggesting women should not even have the right to vote.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• brutal
• cruel
• dirty
• evil
• fierce
• intense
• malevolent
• malicious
• murderous
• rancorous
• savage
• spiteful
• venomous
• vindictive
• violent
• wicked