VICIOUSLY Synonyms: 91 Similar and Opposite Words

viciously

adverb

Definition of viciously

as in hatefully

in a mean or spiteful manner the administrator viciously denied me the time off that I needed to attend my dear aunt's funeral

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of viciously Enzo Fernandez, who already was booked for a first-half yellow card, viciously tackled Spanish defender Pau Cubarsí. — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 19 July 2026 Yet somehow, two decades later, the viciously antisemitic Vichy regime planted itself in power; a shocking betrayal by France of some of its most loyal and generous supporters, in a dehumanizing toxic swamp of suspicion, judgment, envy. — Literary Hub, 17 July 2026 Formalizing the sports practice was a natural next step, Lopez said, as Paul Hastings operates in an industry where firms viciously compete for market share. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 13 July 2026 Smashed with the instep of Mbappe’s right foot, the ball arced viciously into the top-right corner, beyond Bounou’s despairing dive. — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 9 July 2026 At the end of a two-week trial, the verdict went strongly in favor of Maria Avila, who was viciously attacked by Hades, a 200-pound Caucasian shepherd owned by Brown, while emptying trash outside the singer’s Tarzana, California house. — Chris Willman, Variety, 1 July 2026 Anyone angry enough to punch someone else in the head that viciously should go straight to jail. — Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 30 June 2026 Often, Kara and other young women are in peril, and quite a few people die or are viciously murdered. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 26 June 2026 And then there is County Road 450A near Umatill, which was rightfully stripped of McCall’s name in 2007 after area residents protested the honor toward one of the most viciously racist sheriffs in Florida history. — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for viciously

Adverb

During his arraignment a month later, Brown pleaded not guilty to one count of attempting to unlawfully and maliciously cause grievous bodily harm with intent.

— Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026
Another factor to consider is that the agent acted maliciously, without being instructed to by the researchers.

— Tim Keary, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

Definition of maliciously

Adverb

Congressional Republicans are headed into the home stretch ahead of a crucial midterm election year bitterly divided over their competing legislative priorities.

— Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026
There were riots, protests and a bitterly divisive war in Vietnam that looked intractable.

— Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026

Definition of bitterly

Adverb

This is a wickedly precise rendering of a young, self-destructive heroine worshiping at the altar of a false idol—and narrated in hindsight, from her later, more perspicacious vantage.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026
But the real coup is Dippold's command of tone, deftly pivoting between nightmarish, surreal, wickedly funny, and soul-stirring modes, sometimes within single scenes.

— Samantha Highfill, Entertainment Weekly, 6 July 2026

Definition of wickedly

Adverb

We were warned by President and Supreme Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower, along with United States Marine Major General Smedley Butler about the virulently toxic, corruptive and destabilizing influences exerted upon our government by the military industrial complex.

— Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 May 2026
Runway is going virulently viral for all the wrong reasons, and its editor, the legendary Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), is, for once, at a loss for a withering mot juste when her advertisers demand an explanation.

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 29 Apr. 2026