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

Other Word Forms

• viciousness noun
• viciously adverb
• unvicious adjective
• unviciously adverb
• unviciousness 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

"It was a vicious circle. It was just complete turmoil... something that everyone just used to say she would grow out of or 'it's a phase' or 'she just needs to learn'," Holly added.

From BBC

If Martin's team then go on to lose the game, that message will become ever more vicious.

From BBC

If this lawfare isn’t aggressively reined in now by judges and Congress, it’s going to be a long and vicious three-and-a-half years.

From Salon

And like politics, the Love Island USA fan culture can get vicious, very quickly.

From BBC

Almost 40 years have passed since Stephen King terrified readers with “IT,” his massive novel about a vicious clown named Pennywise who targets the children of Derry, Maine.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• atrocious 
• barbarous 
• cruel 
• dangerous 
• depraved 
• diabolical 
• ferocious 
• heinous 
• infamous 
• monstrous 
• nefarious 
• perverse 
• savage 
• vile 
• violent 
• wicked