vicious (ˈvɪʃəs
)
Definitions
adjective
- 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
Alternative Forms
ˈviciously adverb ˈviciousness nounWord Origin
C14: from Old French vicieus, from Latin vitiōsus full of faults, from vitium a defectSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
savage,
brutal,
violent,
bad,
dangerous,
foul,
cruel,
ferocious,
monstrous,
vile,
atrocious,
diabolical,
heinous,
abhorrent,
barbarous,
fiendish,
=
depraved,
corrupt,
wicked,
infamous,
degraded,
worthless,
degenerate,
immoral,
sinful,
debased,
profligate,
unprincipled,
=
malicious,
vindictive,
spiteful,
mean,
cruel,
venomous,
bitchy,
defamatory,
rancorous,
backbiting,
slanderous,
Quotations
"You can't expect a boy to be vicious till he's been to a good school"
Translations
- British English:
vicious
A vicious person is violent and cruel....a cruel and vicious man.ˈvɪʃəs ADJECTIVE ...a cruel and vicious man.
- Spanish:
fiero
adj fiera
- French:
vicieux
adj vicieuse
- German:
bösartig
adj
- Chinese: 恶意的 adj
- Arabic: أَثِيم adj
- Portuguese: violento adj violenta
- Russian: порочный adj порочная
- Croatian: okrutan adj okrutna
- Czech: krutý adj
- Danish: ondskabsfuld nutr
- Dutch: wreed adj
- Finnish: raju adj
- Greek: διεστραμμένος adj διεστραμμένη
- Italian: brutale adj
- Japanese: ひどい adj
- Korean: 나쁜 adj
- Norwegian: ondsinnet adj
- Polish: bezwzględny adj bezwzględna
- Brazilian Portuguese: violento adj violenta
- European Spanish:
fiero
adj fiera
- Swedish: illvillig adj illvilligt
- Thai: ที่ร้ายแรง adj
- Turkish: kötü adj
- Vietnamese: xấu xa adj
Usage examples
Tell him you want something vicious , he'll appreciate that.
, Snowjob (1993)It is like some vicious cycle of misery with which we have been cursed.
India Today (2000)Yesterday's continuing saga of vicious bloodletting firmly underscored the measure of his challenge.
Irish Times (2002)Life should mean life, especially when you consider the circumstances of these vicious attacks.
Belfast Telegraph (2003)He concluded, `One hates to ponder the logical outcome of this particular vicious circle.
, A TALE OF FOUR HOUSES: Opera at Covent Garden, La Scala, Vienna and the Met since 1945 (2003)