1
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
a vicious winter storm ripped through the region
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brutal
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
she made a vicious effort to destroy the lives of the people who had wronged her
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3
as in unlawful
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable
a truly vicious person detested by almost everyone
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4
as in savage
violently unfriendly or aggressive in disposition
a vicious dog that has already bitten several people
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5
as in malicious
having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it
he spread vicious rumors about his ex-wife after their bitter divorce
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of vicious
Lawless Merrick Garland holdovers are vicious and have 0 regards for the law or Court orders!
—
Kierra Frazier, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2025
And obviously that’s become vicious now — with bond yields staying high and the dollar falling, it’s become the story.
—Jesse Pound, CNBC, 12 Apr. 2025
This was a vicious weaponization of your government.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
Employees losing jobs because companies will lay off workers to off-set the expense of tariffs will also mean fewer customers buying goods and services, creating a vicious cycle that depresses both corporate revenues and economic growth.
—Solange Charas, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vicious
Kierra Frazier, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2025
And obviously that’s become vicious now — with bond yields staying high and the dollar falling, it’s become the story.
—Jesse Pound, CNBC, 12 Apr. 2025
This was a vicious weaponization of your government.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
Employees losing jobs because companies will lay off workers to off-set the expense of tariffs will also mean fewer customers buying goods and services, creating a vicious cycle that depresses both corporate revenues and economic growth.
—Solange Charas, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vicious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vicious
Adjective
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Whether singing a cappella or accompanied by her guitar to hundreds or thousands of people − at a small venue or an awards show − Lafourcade's performances feel visceral, intense and intimate all at once.—
Pamela Avila,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2025
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In place of intense (and potentially irritating) acids, Mediheal's Madecassoside Blemish Pads target breakouts and breakout-causing bacteria with anti-inflammatory powerhouses madecassoside and cica.—
Sarah Han,
Allure,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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This high school student completed a brutal swim across New Zealand's 13.67-mile Cook Strait 02:16 CNN — Maya Merhige eventually stopped counting her jellyfish stings, such was the frequency with which they were getting scorched against her skin.—
George Ramsay,
CNN Money,
30 Apr. 2025
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Although understanding the difference between destructive and constructive feedback helps leaders communicate brutal truths without causing unnecessary harm, these examples highlight how easily criticism can become a personal attack.—
Topsie VandenBosch,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Of note: Your Content must not be false, defamatory, misleading or hateful, or infringe any copyright or any other third-party rights or otherwise be unlawful.—
Catherine Pearson,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
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That month, Drummond sued the board directly in the Oklahoma Supreme Court and asked it to rescind the charter contract and declare St. Isidore's establishment as a charter school unlawful.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.—
Tom Yulsman,
Discover Magazine,
27 Dec. 2022
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The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Dec. 2022
Adjective
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These attacks work by causing a software package to access the wrong component dependency, for instance by publishing a malicious package and giving it the same name as the legitimate one but with a later version stamp.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
29 Apr. 2025
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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Since early March, Israel has cut Gaza off from the supply of humanitarian aid including food, with aid agencies warning that the situation for the strip’s 2 million civilians has deteriorated dangerously, only worsened by intensive Israeli military operations.—
Irene Nasser,
CNN Money,
15 Apr. 2025
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Now, more than six months after first complaining of stomach pain, Butlin started her first three-month course of intensive chemotherapy on April 8.—
Vanessa Etienne,
People.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Such evidence could support the view that incessant loud noise amounts to torture or cruel treatment towards cetaceans, in turn galvanizing support for a new right to be free from such harm.—
David Gruber,
Time,
24 Apr. 2025
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But this is the cruel and unreasonable state of this Administration's deportation policy.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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While the practice of using haint blue to ward off evil spirits might not be as common, the color has bled into the mainstream, with major paint companies like Sherwin-Williams and PPG Industries, Inc selling paint inspired by the shade.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
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The royal palace is infested with evil spirits and one of them has taken hold of the young prince.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vicious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vicious. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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