viler ˈvī-lər How to pronounce vile (audio) ; vilest ˈvī-ləst How to pronounce vile (audio)
1
a
: morally despicable or abhorrent
nothing is so vile as intellectual dishonesty
b
: physically repulsive : foul
a vile slum
2
: of little worth or account : common
also : mean
3
: tending to degrade
vile employments
4
: disgustingly or utterly bad : obnoxious, contemptible
vile weather
had a vile temper
vilely adverb
vileness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for vile

base, low, vile mean deserving of contempt because of the absence of higher values.

base stresses the ignoble and may suggest cruelty, treachery, greed, or grossness.

base motives

low may connote crafty cunning, vulgarity, or immorality and regularly implies an outraging of one's sense of decency or propriety.

refused to listen to such low talk

vile, the strongest of these words, tends to suggest disgusting depravity or filth.

a vile remark

Examples of vile in a Sentence

a vile and cowardly act What is that vile odor? His comments were positively vile. She has a vile temper.
Recent Examples on the Web For all of American political history, Trump comparing himself to Navalny would be the type of vile, disgraceful comment that would end a politician's career. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 22 Feb. 2024 The debate over what to do with vile language and attitudes in old classics is as polarizing as any culture-war issue — especially in light of the recent decision to bowdlerize Roald Dahl. Nate Rogers, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2024 Social media platforms overflow with vile antisemitism, including the baseless accusation of an Israeli genocide of Palestinians indistinguishable from the Holocaust. Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 26 Jan. 2024 Or was his vile character simply too much for voters to stomach? USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2024 Will the United States, for vile political reasons, let the conflict fester and encourage authoritarian and anti-American forces throughout Europe? Bernard-Henri Lévy, The Mercury News, 2 Jan. 2024 The tunnel in question, which is about the length of a bowling lane, became the subject of intense public interest, as the incident involved several Lubavitcher extremists, vile antisemitic conspiracy theories, and cops dropping Yiddish. Adam Iscoe, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2024 Harris makes a monstrous villain, Franco is vile sleaze personified and a platinum-blonde Malone is distressing as a wife unwilling to renounce her love for JJ despite life-threatening injuries. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Jan. 2024 Surely, too, there are karmic points to be won for helping a scandal die vs. helping the vile thing along. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 30 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vile.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French vil, from Latin vilis

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of vile was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near vile

Cite this Entry

“Vile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vile. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

vile

adjective
viler ˈvī-lər How to pronounce vile (audio) ; vilest -ləst How to pronounce vile (audio)
1
a
: morally bad
vile deeds
b
: physically ugly
vile living quarters
2
: of little worth
3
: very or completely bad
a vile temper
vile weather
vilely adverb
vileness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on vile

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