vice

²vice

Definition of VICE

chiefly British variant of vise

Other Hardware Terms

adze, auger, awl, chock, ferrule, punch, tang

¹vice

noun \ˈvīs\

Definition of VICE

1

a : moral depravity or corruption : wickedness

b : a moral fault or failing

c : a habitual and usually trivial defect or shortcoming : foible <suffered from the vice of curiosity>

2

: blemish, defect

3

: a physical imperfection, deformity, or taint

4

a often capitalized : a character representing one of the vices in an English morality play

b : buffoon, jester

5

: an abnormal behavior pattern in a domestic animal detrimental to its health or usefulness

6

: sexual immorality; especially : prostitution

Examples of VICE

1. Such men are prone to vice.
2. He thought gambling was a vice.
3. Eating too much is my vice.
4. The city is a den of filth and vice.

Origin of VICE

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin vitium fault, vice

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to VICE

Synonyms

corruption, debauchery, depravity, immorality, iniquitousness, iniquity, libertinage, libertinism, licentiousness, profligacy, sin

Antonyms

morality, virtue

Related Words

bad, badness, blackness, evil, evildoing, ill, turpitude, villainy, wickedness, wrong; atrociousness, evilness, heinousness, sinfulness, unscrupulousness, viciousness, vileness, villainousness; devilry (or deviltry), fiendishness; corruptness, debasement, degeneracy, degeneration, depravedness, dissoluteness, dissolution; indecency, lasciviousness, lechery, lewdness, looseness, perversion, pervertedness, wantonness; abomination, anathema, taboo (also tabu); criminality, reprehensibleness; baseness, despicableness, dirtiness, lowness, meanness; lousiness, miserableness, wretchedness

Near Antonyms

good, right; honesty, honor, integrity, legitimacy, probity, rectitude, scrupulosity, scrupulousness, uprightness; goodness, righteousness, virtuousness; blamelessness; chastity, innocence, perfection, pureness, purity, spotlessness; cleanness, correctness, decency, decorousness, propriety, rightness, seemliness

See Synonym Discussion at fault, offense

Rhymes with VICE

dice, gneiss, ice, lyse, nice, pice, price, rice, slice, spice, splice, syce, thrice, trice, twice, vise

³vice

preposition \ˈvīs also ˈvī-sē\

Definition of VICE

: in the place of <I will preside, vice the absent chairman>; also : rather than

Origin of VICE

Latin, abl. of vicis change, alternation, stead — more at week

First Known Use: 1770

vice

noun \ˈvīs\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of VICE

: an abnormal behavior pattern in a domestic animal detrimental to its health or usefulness