vicious

adjective

vi·​cious ˈvi-shəs How to pronounce vicious (audio)
1
a
: dangerously aggressive : savage
a vicious dog
b
: marked by violence or ferocity : fierce
a vicious fight
2
: malicious, spiteful
vicious gossip
3
: worsened by internal causes that reciprocally augment each other
a vicious wage-price spiral
4
: having the nature or quality of vice or immorality : depraved
5
6
viciously adverb
viciousness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for vicious

vicious, villainous, iniquitous, nefarious, corrupt, degenerate mean highly reprehensible or offensive in character, nature, or conduct.

vicious may directly oppose virtuous in implying moral depravity, or may connote malignancy, cruelty, or destructive violence.

a vicious gangster

villainous applies to any evil, depraved, or vile conduct or characteristic.

a villainous assault

iniquitous implies absence of all signs of justice or fairness.

an iniquitous system of taxation

nefarious suggests flagrant breaching of time-honored laws and traditions of conduct.

the nefarious rackets of organized crime

corrupt stresses a loss of moral integrity or probity causing betrayal of principle or sworn obligations.

city hall was rife with corrupt politicians

degenerate suggests having sunk to an especially vicious or enervated condition.

a degenerate regime propped up by foreign powers

Examples of vicious in a Sentence

Challenging areas of social consensus, however dumb or even vicious the consensus, is largely off limits for the media, because it wins no friends among the general public. Richard A. Posner, New York Times Book Review, 31 July 2005
The genetically vicious nature of presidential campaigns in America is too obvious to argue with, but some people call it fun, and I am one of them. Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2004
True to Finals form, this hardwood battle has become as vicious as any street scrum. Anne Marie Cruz, ESPN, 24 June 2002
For most of my life I have retained a haunting image from an old Tarzan movie: piranhas, those vicious little fish with the arrowhead-shaped teeth, devouring a pig. Forget that there are no piranha in Africa. But they do exist in Brazil, in abundance in the meandering waterways of the Amazon Basin. Gerald Eskenazi, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2002
The Olympics always seemed too much like war, vicious old men manipulating youngsters hungry for fame into performing heroic acts for short change. Robert Lipsyte, New York Times, 29 July 2001
His slider—a vicious, hard-breaking pitch with which he finished off right-handed hitters for years—was inconsistent and benign, and the velocity of his fastball was diminished. Buster Olney, New York Times Magazine, 4 Mar. 2001
a vicious tone of voice I know you're upset with her, but there's no need to be vicious.
Recent Examples on the Web That, in turn, could create a vicious cycle and result in even less spending, more business cutbacks and higher unemployment. Laura He, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 Innocence, trust, joy — all were trampled on and dismissed in that outdated, snobbish, vicious little world that English high society constructed, endorsed and then handed over to the care of people who could be very dangerous indeed. Erin Hill, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2024 Many of the gags are either derivative or homages, depending on your perspective, including the vicious killer bunnies that bring to mind Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 Pairing Coleman with dynamo Zay Flowers would stop that vicious cycle. Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024 What to know about teen gang accused of vicious attacks Timeline: Preston Lord investigation, 'Gilbert Goons' attacks stun Phoenix area What are the teen curfew hours in Gilbert? Residents also asked the police department to clarify teen curfew hours. Maritza Dominguez, The Arizona Republic, 29 Feb. 2024 One of the finest private libraries of the age belonged to Vespasiano’s client Federico da Montefeltro, known for his spectacular palace in Urbino, and for having led an attack on the town of Volterra so unaccountably vicious that Machiavelli cited it as proof that men are inclined to evil. Claudia Roth Pierpont, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 Paul survives a vicious attack from rival House Harkonnen and allies himself with the Fremen, a people indigenous to Arrakis, and Chani (Zendaya), a Fremen woman Paul's had visions of in his dreams. Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2024 The New York Post shared video of the vicious attack via VideoElephant. David Caraccio, Sacramento Bee, 14 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vicious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French vicios, from Latin vitiosus full of faults, corrupt, from vitium vice

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Time Traveler
The first known use of vicious was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near vicious

Cite this Entry

“Vicious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vicious. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

vicious

adjective
vi·​cious ˈvish-əs How to pronounce vicious (audio)
1
a
: likely to do evil : wicked
b
: of the nature of evil : immoral
2
: very dangerous
a vicious dog
3
: having or showing hateful feelings
vicious gossip
viciously adverb
viciousness noun

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