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
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Recent Examples of viciously
While courageously intervening to protect a fellow passenger, he was viciously attacked.
—
Judith Y. Kim, The Washington Examiner, 26 Aug. 2025
In broad daylight, a group of men on motorbikes can be seen swarming and viciously beating another rider, allegedly for stealing their bike.
—Wbff Staff, Baltimore Sun, 16 Aug. 2025
The virus spread quickly and viciously.
—Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
For instance, the first episode sees a man viciously attacked in his van, setting off a mystery for Wednesday to solve.
—Daron James, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2025
That move prompted Prabowo to turn viciously on Jokowi.
—Ben Bland, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2024
Judith Y. Kim, The Washington Examiner, 26 Aug. 2025
In broad daylight, a group of men on motorbikes can be seen swarming and viciously beating another rider, allegedly for stealing their bike.
—Wbff Staff, Baltimore Sun, 16 Aug. 2025
The virus spread quickly and viciously.
—Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
For instance, the first episode sees a man viciously attacked in his van, setting off a mystery for Wednesday to solve.
—Daron James, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2025
That move prompted Prabowo to turn viciously on Jokowi.
—Ben Bland, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for viciously
Adverb
-
Jennifer Parker sued the Nashville Fire Department and investigator Mark Sells in August 2023 claiming she was maliciously prosecuted.—
Evan Mealins,
The Tennessean,
21 Aug. 2025
-
Fletcher came to believe that Anthony Fauci—a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force during the pandemic—and other public health leaders were intentionally, maliciously misleading the public.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
4 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
In other words, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.—
Derek Robertson,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
Tom’s final epiphany related to his estranged son isn’t earned, but not because of Ruffalo; his performance cuts a fine line between bitterly self-destructive and warmly spiritual.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
-
San Francisco officials fought bitterly against Waymo and now-defunct Cruise robotaxis from General Motors, after their vehicles repeatedly blocked traffic and emergency vehicles, with Cruise the main perpetrator.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
5 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
The Compound is understatedly funny and wickedly smart, an addictive slow-burn of a novel that is as pretty—and quietly dangerous—as the bushfires that glitter in the distance of the compound.—
Hannah Berman
August 27,
Literary Hub,
27 Aug. 2025
-
Nevertheless, the main event of the book and the previous film are the wickedly vicious fights between the couple, and Searchlight’s trailer seems to emphasize that aspect of it as well.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
25 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
This is a high watermark for the European far right, a once fringe movement whose virulently anti-immigration, anti-Islam and culture-war politics were shunned by the mainstream just a decade ago.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
13 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
Images of Labubus beamed malevolently from their packaging, as if gloating in their unreachability.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Viciously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/viciously. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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