1
as in malice
the desire to cause pain for the satisfaction of doing harm
simple viciousness can be the only reason for spreading such vile, unfounded rumors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
the unspeakable viciousness of some dictators in the past
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of viciousness
The jury further determined that the crimes involved a threat of great bodily harm and demonstrated a high degree of cruelty, viciousness or callousness, the district attorney's office said.
—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
The expediency of their exchanges (back and forth over a couple of weeks) electrified the planet, especially the mounting viciousness of Lamar’s attack (ad hominem all the way).
—
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
The horror has come now like a storm— what if this night prefigured the night after death— what if all thereafter was an eternal quivering on the edge of an abyss, with everything base and vicious in oneself urging one forward and the baseness and viciousness of the world just ahead.
—
Literary Hub,
3 Mar. 2026
But this candid and absorbing memoir is also a stark reminder of the corruptions of power, the uncertainties of revolution and the frequent viciousness of human nature.
—
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Down 14 points with 30 seconds left, the viciousness of the hit seemed more about injuring than winning a game that was already settled.
—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
7 Jan. 2026
The casual viciousness of children is the centerpiece of the film, which has triggered audiences who grew up in the same era as Polinger.
—
William Earl,
Variety,
23 Dec. 2025
Hinkey finds both viciousness and vulnerability within Red Feather, crafting, through his fierce physicality and long, unblinking gazes, a man aware of the world steadily leaving him behind.
—
Kathryn Vanarendonk,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
The movie’s grand centerpiece is a dinner party where Theo and Ivy go at each other with such viciousness that their guests can only stand by and watch, aghast.
—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
29 Aug. 2025
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
The expediency of their exchanges (back and forth over a couple of weeks) electrified the planet, especially the mounting viciousness of Lamar’s attack (ad hominem all the way).
—
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
The horror has come now like a storm— what if this night prefigured the night after death— what if all thereafter was an eternal quivering on the edge of an abyss, with everything base and vicious in oneself urging one forward and the baseness and viciousness of the world just ahead.
—
Literary Hub,
3 Mar. 2026
But this candid and absorbing memoir is also a stark reminder of the corruptions of power, the uncertainties of revolution and the frequent viciousness of human nature.
—
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Down 14 points with 30 seconds left, the viciousness of the hit seemed more about injuring than winning a game that was already settled.
—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
7 Jan. 2026
The casual viciousness of children is the centerpiece of the film, which has triggered audiences who grew up in the same era as Polinger.
—
William Earl,
Variety,
23 Dec. 2025
Hinkey finds both viciousness and vulnerability within Red Feather, crafting, through his fierce physicality and long, unblinking gazes, a man aware of the world steadily leaving him behind.
—
Kathryn Vanarendonk,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
The movie’s grand centerpiece is a dinner party where Theo and Ivy go at each other with such viciousness that their guests can only stand by and watch, aghast.
—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for viciousness
Noun
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Although Ashley had alleged things like malice, ill-will and improper motives by Adam, that still fell short of proving that Adam knew that his statements were false.
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The documentary explores the dark web of fraud, deception and malice that led Parker to feign a pregnancy to try to bolster her relationship with boyfriend Wade Griffin — and when her fake due date passed, kill Hancock for her baby, Braxlynn Sage.
Noun
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These passages highlight the typically human cruelty and hypocrisy of fighting for one’s own liberty while denying it to one’s neighbors.
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Last week, Dixon also pleaded no contest to the three felony animal cruelty charges.
Noun
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Public Luxury is less a dissertation on those tenets than an emotional response to the struggle to achieve it—mouths dripping with venom, eyes swollen with tears, hearts heavy with love.
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One common misconception is that lionfish are inedible because of their venom.
Noun
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But it’s lost on these boys, whose youth has been ground away by the drug trade’s meaningless brutality.
-
There is a weird intimacy to hand-to-hand combat and the brutality of it.
Noun
-
Disciples of this extremist hatred are running for office and winning in select primaries.
-
But to the man himself, comedy is—like life—first and foremost about hatred of death.
Cite this Entry
“Viciousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/viciousness. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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