vicious

adjective

vi·cious ˈvi-shəs

Synonyms of vicious next

: dangerously aggressive : savage

a vicious dog

: marked by violence or ferocity : fierce

a vicious fight

: malicious, spiteful

vicious gossip

: worsened by internal causes that reciprocally augment each other

a vicious wage-price spiral

: having the nature or quality of vice or immorality : depraved

: defective, faulty

also : invalid

: impure, noxious

viciously adverb

viciousness noun

Choose the Right Synonym for vicious

vicious, villainous, iniquitous, nefarious, corrupt, degenerate mean highly reprehensible or offensive in character, nature, or conduct.

vicious may directly oppose virtuous in implying moral depravity, or may connote malignancy, cruelty, or destructive violence.

a vicious gangster

villainous applies to any evil, depraved, or vile conduct or characteristic.

a villainous assault

iniquitous implies absence of all signs of justice or fairness.

an iniquitous system of taxation

nefarious suggests flagrant breaching of time-honored laws and traditions of conduct.

the nefarious rackets of organized crime

corrupt stresses a loss of moral integrity or probity causing betrayal of principle or sworn obligations.

city hall was rife with corrupt politicians

degenerate suggests having sunk to an especially vicious or enervated condition.

a degenerate regime propped up by foreign powers

Example Sentences

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. See More

Recent Examples on the Web Rather than continue in this vicious cycle, upgrade to a powerful stick vacuum that's guaranteed to keep your floors spotless. —

Amy Schulman, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2023 Soaring with the ball in his right hand, Jaquez threw down a vicious dunk over the helpless defender. —

Austin Knoblauchassistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2023 Researchers have identified a very simple, universal solution to child labor’s vicious cycle of poverty 📬 Sign up for the Daily Brief Our free, fast, and fun briefing on the global economy, delivered every weekday morning. —

Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 20 Feb. 2023 Incarceration exacerbates health and economic disparities, a vicious cycle in which poor health impedes employability, preventing financial gain and housing stability, and increasing the risk of recidivism. —

Shira Shavit, STAT, 20 Feb. 2023 After all, that’s his comfort zone — floating with his head above the rim, one arm cocked to throw down a vicious dunk. —

Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 26 Dec. 2022 Prosecutors sought to show during the trial that Elsheikh was one of several guards especially feared for their wanton cruelty, including vicious beatings that often left hostages with broken ribs. —

Aruna Viswanatha, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2022 Luka Doncic probably cares much less about being the victim of a vicious poster dunk by Andrew Wiggins than being down 3-0 in the Western Conference Finals after a 109-100 loss on Sunday at home. —

Eric He, Dallas News, 23 May 2022 Under the Trump administration, the DHS was reported to have aided Trump’s vicious lies about immigrants and crime. —

Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 29 Apr. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vicious.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.