vice

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as in prostitution
the practice of engaging in sexual activities for money a seedy section of the city where vice is rampant and very much out in the open

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun vice contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of vice are crime, offense, scandal, and sin. While all these words mean "a transgression of law," vice applies to a habit or practice that degrades or corrupts.

regarded gambling as a vice

When would crime be a good substitute for vice?

The meanings of crime and vice largely overlap; however, crime implies a serious offense punishable by the law of the state.

the crime of murder

When is it sensible to use offense instead of vice?

While in some cases nearly identical to vice, offense applies to the infraction of any law, rule, or code.

at that school no offense went unpunished

When could scandal be used to replace vice?

The words scandal and vice can be used in similar contexts, but scandal applies to an offense that outrages the public conscience.

a career ruined by a sex scandal

In what contexts can sin take the place of vice?

In some situations, the words sin and vice are roughly equivalent. However, sin implies an offense against moral or religious law.

the sin of blasphemy

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for vice
Noun
  • The law aims to curb corruption and undue influence in federal campaigns.
    Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
  • The mayor has denied the allegations in the past, even after several DOJ officials resigned following the Trump administration’s move to drop the corruption charges.
    Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 28 June 2025
Noun
  • Frank is committed to improving players’ strengths and weaknesses, and this is an area that could facilitate Tel’s development.
    Elias Burke, New York Times, 20 June 2025
  • The pair argues that Europe risks falling behind not due to a lack of technical capability but because of structural market weaknesses.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • The men face charges of solicitation of prostitution, a felony in Texas punishable with up two years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
    Sarah Bahari, Dallas News, 5 Apr. 2023
  • Street prostitution has been an issue on Capp Street in the Mission District for decades.
    Fifth & Mission Podcast, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Feb. 2023
Noun
  • The fact is, Sinners is not about sin in the religious sense but more about America’s most significant secular violation: its refusal to face itself.
    Sughnen Yongo, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
  • Yet no former secretary of state has been more vehemently criticized, most notably for sins of omission and commission in countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, Chile and East Timor.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 June 2025
Noun
  • The driver of the vehicle was not found at fault, and no citations were issued, according to the release.
    Tracy Neal, Arkansas Online, 24 June 2025
  • Harper isn’t devoid of faults, with the two main ones being his defensive focus and inconsistent jump-shooting.
    Kambui Bomani, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
Noun
  • This national recognition of the evils of slavery comes during a significant backlash against teaching American history, as well as an erosion of other civil rights, namely a rollback of voting rights in places that have high populations of Black voters.
    Jenny Singer, Glamour, 18 June 2025
  • The primary concern of the book was pacifism—the rejection of all violence, even to combat evil.
    Ben Woollard, JSTOR Daily, 18 June 2025
Noun
  • That should pay dividends as the team looks to address some of the shortcomings that plagued them in 2024.
    C. Isaiah Smalls II, Miami Herald, 26 June 2025
  • Both are rooted in security vulnerabilities and governance shortcomings.
    Diganta Sengupta, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
Noun
  • In a Code world, no film should risk lowering an audience’s moral standards nor should evil or immorality be presented except as a cautionary tale.
    Betsy Golden Kellem, JSTOR Daily, 25 June 2025
  • Omari’s father, Hassan (J. Paul Nicholas), is the conservative Muslim governor of Mombasa, fond of attacking the immorality in nightclubs like the Moto Moto, where most of Goddess is set, though he’s withdrawn from his reelection campaign after an illness.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 21 May 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Vice.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vice. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

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