What does vicious mean?
Vicious means Violent, destructive and cruel..
Vicious
/ˈvɪʃəs/ · adjective
Meaning
Violent, destructive and cruel..
Definitions by Sense
- Violent, destructive and cruel.
- Savage and aggressive.
- (archaic) Pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity.
Example Sentences
He had always been remarkably immune from such little ailments, and had only once in his life been ill, of a vicious pneumonia long ago at school. He hadn't the faintest idea what to with a cold in the head, he just took quinine and continued to blow his nose.
We may so seize on vertue, that if we embrace it with an over-greedy and violent desire, it may become vicious.
Admiral Crawford was a man of vicious conduct, who chose, instead of retaining his niece, to bring his mistress under his own roof
A murrain on you, Reverend Apse/I hope you get caught in a vicious moral lapse.
Synonyms for vicious
Antonyms for vicious
Related Words
Word Forms
- more vicious
- viciouser
- most vicious
- viciousest
- vitious
Usage Notes
Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.
Practice and Learn More
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a synonym for vicious?
Common synonyms include scathy, malevolent, evil, wicked.
What is the opposite of vicious?
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
How do you use vicious in a sentence?
He had always been remarkably immune from such little ailments, and had only once in his life been ill, of a vicious pneumonia long ago at school. He hadn't the faintest idea what to with a cold in the head, he just took quinine and continued to blow his nose.
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.