1
a
: morally despicable or abhorrent
nothing is so vile as intellectual dishonesty
b
: physically repulsive : foul
a vile slum
3
: tending to degrade
vile employments
4
: disgustingly or utterly bad : obnoxious, contemptible
vile weather
had a vile temper
vileness
noun
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
Removing a vile, brutal, and corrupt president without a clear transition plan, and relying on his former regime to deliver if for you, is not supporting democracy.
—
Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
Grok, the chatbot of Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI, published sexualized images of children as its guardrails seem to have failed when it was prompted with vile user requests.
—The Los Angeles Times, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026
Grok, the chatbot of Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI, published sexualized images of children as its guardrails seem to have failed when it was prompted with vile user requests.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
After Girdusky’s vile comments to Hasan on Phillip’s CNN show, he was gone by the end of the next ad break, then barred from the network altogether.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vile
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Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
Grok, the chatbot of Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI, published sexualized images of children as its guardrails seem to have failed when it was prompted with vile user requests.
—The Los Angeles Times, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026
Grok, the chatbot of Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI, published sexualized images of children as its guardrails seem to have failed when it was prompted with vile user requests.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
After Girdusky’s vile comments to Hasan on Phillip’s CNN show, he was gone by the end of the next ad break, then barred from the network altogether.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vile
Cite this Entry
“Vile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vile. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
vile
adjective1
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
vileness
noun
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