vice

Definition of vicenext
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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
  • Years later, drawn into a covert network of operatives and manipulated through a web of corruption, Clay must decide whether to become the weapon he was shaped to be or dismantle the system from within.
    Alex Ritman, Variety, 28 Apr. 2026
  • He was also charged in another foreign corruption case in the same court in late 2024.
    Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Some analysts have raised alarms about how weakness in a key node of the web, like OpenAI, could set off a chain reaction that could threaten the entire AI ecosystem.
    Rob Wile, NBC news, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Prior to his senior year, Maloney worked extremely hard to correct his weakness.
    Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The sites mix factual assertions about their targets with unsubstantiated conspiracies and defamatory claims of misconduct ranging from extortion and embezzlement to drug dealing and prostitution.
    Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 30 Apr. 2026
  • Minh Han, 52, was arrested Wednesday on charges of practice of massage therapy without a license and prostitution, according to Capt.
    Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 29 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Song of the Goddess, 1992, which Pau made while living in New York, is a tribute to the secret real-life romance between two female Cantonese opera stars, Yam Kim-fai and Pak Suet-sin.
    Pauline J. Yao, Artforum, 2 May 2026
  • What’s a worse sin/crime — declaring an obvious murder a suicide to protect a perverted crony?
    Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Additional information about the crash, including the directions both cars were traveling, which driver was at fault and whether drugs, alcohol or speeding are believed to be factors, was not immediately available Thursday.
    Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 30 Apr. 2026
  • And later, when water levels dropped, tectonics shifted, reefs grew, and the ice age locked away the planet’s water supplies into glaciers, and new faults thrust the land skyward to dry?
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Recognizing evil isn’t always so easy.
    Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
  • In Times of Dragons [Universal/Fontana] Dealing with demons is nothing new for Tori Amos, but on her 18th studio album, there’s little that’s figurative about the struggle between human good and Trumpian evil.
    Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 1 May 2026
Noun
  • But the attempt has revealed shortcomings and vulnerabilities that were waiting to be exploited—and can no longer be ignored.
    Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
  • The third-year quarterback masked a number of the team’s roster deficiencies in his rookie season, but the combination of injuries, a tougher schedule and roster shortcomings derailed his second season.
    Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Following this tendency might finally cure us not only of indigestion but also the ancient immorality of eating other organisms.
    Big Think, Big Think, 22 Apr. 2026
  • Consider this evilmeister’s brazen acts of treason and revenge, unbounded deceit, swinish immorality and negative role modeling.
    Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026
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 3 May. 2026.

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