vicious
(of an animal) having bad habits or a cruel or fierce disposition: a vicious bull.
unpleasantly severe: a vicious headache.
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.
characterized or marred by faults or defects; faulty; unsound: vicious reasoning.
Archaic. morbid, foul, or noxious.
Origin of vicious
1Other words for vicious
Opposites for vicious
Other words from vicious
- vi·cious·ly, adverb
- vi·cious·ness, noun
- un·vi·cious, adjective
- un·vi·cious·ly, adverb
- un·vi·cious·ness, noun
Words that may be confused with vicious
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use vicious in a sentence
The presidential campaigns of Jackson became the leading left-liberal resistance to the viciousness of Reagan Republicanism.
In the end, Hollow pulled out a withering attack that outpaced Budden both in speed and viciousness.
"What we learned firsthand was the viciousness and the lack of any morality on the part of Boko Haram," Jackson Lee said.
She added: “The scale of viciousness of the abuses being perpetrated by elements on both sides almost defies belief.”
I knew that people would be upset, but the viciousness of the response has been shocking.
'Celebrity Rehab' Counselor: Mindy McCready Won't Be the Last | Maer Roshan | February 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
And the selfishness that sometimes cropped out in his character was not viciousness, but the natural outcome of over-indulgence.
Those Dale Girls | Frank Weston CarruthDon't intensify the viciousness of the public-house by assuming the place isn't fit for women and children.
The New Machiavelli | Herbert George WellsHis bridle rein was broken, and caught at his feet as he moved about, throwing up his head in fright as much as viciousness.
The Way of a Man | Emerson HoughApparently the extreme viciousness of her doctrine escaped notice.
Nullification, Secession Webster's Argument and the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions | Caleb William LoringThe wind was not only icy and cutting, but of a sharp viciousness that made it impossible to hear or to see.
The Come Back | Carolyn Wells
British Dictionary definitions for vicious
/ (ˈvɪʃəs) /
wicked or cruel; villainous: a vicious thug
characterized by violence or ferocity: a vicious blow
informal unpleasantly severe; harsh: a vicious wind
characterized by malice: vicious lies
(esp of dogs, horses, etc) ferocious or hostile; dangerous
characterized by or leading to vice
invalidated by defects; unsound: a vicious inference
obsolete noxious or morbid: a vicious exhalation
Origin of vicious
1Derived forms of vicious
- viciously, adverb
- viciousness, noun
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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