wicked

1 of 2

adjective

wick·​ed ˈwi-kəd How to pronounce wicked (audio)
1
: morally very bad : evil
2
a
: fierce, vicious
a wicked dog
b
: disposed to or marked by mischief : roguish
does wicked impersonations
3
a
: disgustingly unpleasant : vile
a wicked odor
b
: causing or likely to cause harm, distress, or trouble
a wicked storm
4
: going beyond reasonable or predictable limits : of exceptional quality or degree
throws a wicked fastball
wickedly adverb

wicked

2 of 2

adverb

: very, extremely
wicked fast

Examples of wicked in a Sentence

Adjective a wicked act of cruelty She played the part of the wicked stepmother in the play. She wore a wicked grin after her victory. She's known for having a wicked sense of humor. She had a wicked case of food poisoning. A wicked odor was coming from the closet. He throws a wicked fastball. Adverb His car goes wicked fast. All his friends thought he was wicked cool. The tickets were wicked expensive.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
In addition to Brandy's lovely Cinderella, the wonderful and wonderfully diverse cast can count its Prince Charming, Paolo Montalbán, and wicked stepmother, Bernadette Peters, as highlights. EW.com, 4 Mar. 2024 As Roberts noted pregame, Yamamoto’s ability to dot the fastball — and, in turn, set up his wicked secondary weapons — has been the most impressive aspect of the pitcher’s wide-ranging skill set. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024 Roth infuses the slasher genre with a wicked sense of humor, taking it to an entirely new level of sophistication. Travis Bean, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024 Or, as Ben Affleck, king of Boston, would say: That would be wicked. Vulture, 12 Feb. 2024 Those are the five pitchers that will need to carry the load for the first 100-something games of the season, until Alex Cobb (hip) and Robbie Ray (Tommy John Surgery) can return, creating — in theory — a wicked 1, 2, 3 with Webb. Yikes. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2024 Wedgewood was outstanding in improving to 3-0 against his former teammates, although there was some concern early in the third period when a wicked slapshot by Michael McLeod hit him in the facemask and knocked it off. Tom Canavan, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2024 As in every good fairy tale, a godmother showed up but with a twin that looked suspiciously like the wicked witch of the west. Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Jan. 2024 In one early vacuum test before launch, for example, the system’s optical fibers melted because heat couldn’t be wicked away fast enough. IEEE Spectrum, 29 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wicked.' 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

Adjective

Middle English, alteration of wicke wicked, perhaps from Old English wicca

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1980, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wicked was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near wicked

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

wicked

adjective
wick·​ed
ˈwik-əd
1
: morally bad : evil
2
: given to mischief : roguish
a wicked glance
3
a
: very unpleasant
a wicked odor
b
: causing or likely to cause harm or trouble
a wicked storm
wickedly adverb
wickedness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on wicked

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