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: worsened by internal causes that reciprocally augment each other
a vicious wage-price spiral
viciously
adverb
viciousness
noun
Examples of vicious in a Sentence
Challenging areas of social consensus, however dumb or even vicious the consensus, is largely off limits for the media, because it wins no friends among the general public.
—
Richard A. Posner, New York Times Book Review, 31 July 2005
The genetically vicious nature of presidential campaigns in America is too obvious to argue with, but some people call it fun, and I am one of them.
—Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2004
True to Finals form, this hardwood battle has become as vicious as any street scrum.
—Anne Marie Cruz, ESPN, 24 June 2002
For most of my life I have retained a haunting image from an old Tarzan movie: piranhas, those vicious little fish with the arrowhead-shaped teeth, devouring a pig. Forget that there are no piranha in Africa. But they do exist in Brazil, in abundance in the meandering waterways of the Amazon Basin.
—Gerald Eskenazi, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2002
The Olympics always seemed too much like war, vicious old men manipulating youngsters hungry for fame into performing heroic acts for short change.
—Robert Lipsyte, New York Times, 29 July 2001
His slider—a vicious, hard-breaking pitch with which he finished off right-handed hitters for years—was inconsistent and benign, and the velocity of his fastball was diminished.
—Buster Olney, New York Times Magazine, 4 Mar. 2001
a vicious tone of voice
I know you're upset with her, but there's no need to be vicious.
Richard A. Posner, New York Times Book Review, 31 July 2005
The genetically vicious nature of presidential campaigns in America is too obvious to argue with, but some people call it fun, and I am one of them.
—Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2004
True to Finals form, this hardwood battle has become as vicious as any street scrum.
—Anne Marie Cruz, ESPN, 24 June 2002
For most of my life I have retained a haunting image from an old Tarzan movie: piranhas, those vicious little fish with the arrowhead-shaped teeth, devouring a pig. Forget that there are no piranha in Africa. But they do exist in Brazil, in abundance in the meandering waterways of the Amazon Basin.
—Gerald Eskenazi, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2002
The Olympics always seemed too much like war, vicious old men manipulating youngsters hungry for fame into performing heroic acts for short change.
—Robert Lipsyte, New York Times, 29 July 2001
His slider—a vicious, hard-breaking pitch with which he finished off right-handed hitters for years—was inconsistent and benign, and the velocity of his fastball was diminished.
—Buster Olney, New York Times Magazine, 4 Mar. 2001
a vicious tone of voice
I know you're upset with her, but there's no need to be vicious.
Recent Examples on the Web
Balogun, who stole scenes from Ewan McGregor in Paramount+’s A Gentleman in Moscow, has a smooth, searing confidence, mowing through extras and secondary characters with vicious efficiency.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2025
For a truly unforgettable experience, expert skiers venture into the legendary Palmyra Peak (which requires a more than two-hour hike at high altitude, so drink lots of water) and its surrounding vicious Gold Hill Chutes.
—Charles Curkin, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2025
This creates a vicious cycle where shame is a currency, and the only person who actually pays a price is the one who is mocked.
—Eli Thompson, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2025
After their parents got the police involved, the case remained unsolved for months until the FBI uncovered the shocking truth of who was behind the vicious messages after all.
—James Mercadante, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vicious
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Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2025
For a truly unforgettable experience, expert skiers venture into the legendary Palmyra Peak (which requires a more than two-hour hike at high altitude, so drink lots of water) and its surrounding vicious Gold Hill Chutes.
—Charles Curkin, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2025
This creates a vicious cycle where shame is a currency, and the only person who actually pays a price is the one who is mocked.
—Eli Thompson, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2025
After their parents got the police involved, the case remained unsolved for months until the FBI uncovered the shocking truth of who was behind the vicious messages after all.
—James Mercadante, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vicious
Cite this Entry
“Vicious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vicious. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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