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vicious definition

vi·cious (vis̸h′əs)

adjective

    1. given to or characterized by vice; evil, corrupt, or depraved
    2. tending to deprave or corrupt; pernicious vicious interests
    3. harmful, unwholesome, or noxious a vicious concoction
  2. ruined by defects, flaws, or errors; full of faults a vicious argument
  3. having bad or harmful habits; unruly a vicious horse
  4. malicious; spiteful; mean a vicious rumor
  5. very intense, forceful, sharp, etc. a vicious blow

Etymology: ME < OFr vicieus < L vitiosus, full of faults, corrupt, vicious < vitium, vice

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

vicious Synonyms

vicious

modif.

  1. Corrupt

    bad, debased, base, impious, profligate, demoralized, faulty, vile, foul, impure, lewd, indecent, licentious, libidinous; see also wicked 1, 2.

    Antonyms noble*, pure*, virtuous. *

  2. Prone to cruelty

    wicked, evil, sinful; see cruel 1, 2.

  3. Not tamed

    wild, untamed, insubordinate; see unruly.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

vicious Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • circle: People may have been caught in a vicious circle out of which there seemed no escape.

Modifying Another Word

  • particularly: Shaker suffered particularly vicious torture in the Dark Prison in Kabul.

Used with adjective complement

  • turn: At the same time Knight would turn vicious the minute any artist tried to take their music elsewhere.
vicious usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

vicious quotes

Football, in itself, is a grand game fordeveloping a lad physicallyand also morally†but it is a viciousgame when it draws crowds of lads away from playing the game themselves to be merely onlookers at a few paid players.

-Baden-Powell, Robert Stephenson Smyth, 1st Baron

You have to have something vicious in you to be a creative writer† God save me from being 'nice'.

-Lawrence, D(avid) H(erbert)

Seulement les sots sont punis, et non les vicieux. Only the foolish are punished, never the truly vicious.

-Marguerite d'Angoule"  me

vicious quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"vicious." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/vicious>

APA Style

vicious. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/vicious

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