vile

adjective

ˈvī(-ə)l 

viler ˈvī-lər  ; vilest ˈvī-ləst 

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

ˈvī(-ə)l-lē 

adverb

vileness noun

Synonyms of vile

• evil
• immoral
• unlawful
• sinful
• vicious
• dark
• bad
• wicked
• obscene
• rotten

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

But no amount of handouts, Hefty bags and Windex can pretty up the scene right now around Lineage, as my colleague Salvador Hernandez described this week in vivid, vile detail. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026

In mid-July, Chelsea Gray of the Las Vegas Aces, who is almost as superb a player as Clark, received a vile message after her team lost to the Fever. — Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 25 July 2026

The language used in this book is often vile, at times so filthy that the publishers have been compelled to resort to the dash, a device seldom employed in these unsqueamish days. — Literary Hub, 23 July 2026

Here, though, the entire enterprise is vile, and futile, and irredeemable, made worse by the self-delusion of the people who pursue it. — Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 21 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for vile

• aisle
• bile
• chyle
• file
• guile
• heil
• isle
• kyle
• mile
• pile
• rile
• smile

Kids Definition

vile

adjective

ˈvī(ə)l 

viler ˈvī-lər  ; vilest -ləst 

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

ˈvī(ə)l-lē 

adverb

vileness noun