1
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
a vicious winter storm ripped through the region
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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2
as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
the unspeakable viciousness of some dictators in the past
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of vicious
Beatrice Peterson, ABC News, 21 May 2025
The new film resurrects the plot of the first one: A group of teens who covered up a fatal car accident are being targeted by a vicious killer armed with a nasty hook.
—Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
But even when locked in a tense, deadly standoff with the vicious Barbie, Moulin doesn’t break, and his courage and silence helps lead to the liberation of France, while leaving behind a new spirit of strength and resistance.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 10 May 2025
Bone Tomahawk Year: 2015 Runtime: 2h 11m Director: S. Craig Zahler
S. Craig Zahler has become one of the most divisive filmmakers working today after three vicious, brutal movies — Bone Tomahawk, Brawl in Cell Block 99, and Dragged Across Concrete.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for vicious
Adjective
President Trump and Secretary Noem are working every day to get vicious criminals out of our country while activist judges are fighting to bring them back onto American soil.
—Beatrice Peterson, ABC News, 21 May 2025
The new film resurrects the plot of the first one: A group of teens who covered up a fatal car accident are being targeted by a vicious killer armed with a nasty hook.
—Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
But even when locked in a tense, deadly standoff with the vicious Barbie, Moulin doesn’t break, and his courage and silence helps lead to the liberation of France, while leaving behind a new spirit of strength and resistance.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 10 May 2025
Bone Tomahawk Year: 2015 Runtime: 2h 11m Director: S. Craig Zahler
S. Craig Zahler has become one of the most divisive filmmakers working today after three vicious, brutal movies — Bone Tomahawk, Brawl in Cell Block 99, and Dragged Across Concrete.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for vicious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vicious
Adjective
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And, believe it or not, Europe does have air conditioning, which can be quite an intense shift when moving between the outdoors into coach buses or stores.—
Gregory Robinson,
Travel + Leisure,
31 May 2025
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Residents of Maoming, China were treated to a celestial light show earlier this week when a surprise fireball burst to life overhead, illuminating the city before disappearing in an intense flare of light.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
31 May 2025
Adjective
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Lori survives the brutal events of prom night, but not without a fight.—
Jane LaCroix,
People.com,
24 May 2025
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Amid the brutal cuts across the federal government under the Trump administration, perhaps one of the most gutting is the loss of experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who respond to lead poisoning in children.—
John Timmer,
ArsTechnica,
23 May 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.—
Will Matsuda,
New York Times,
23 May 2025
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The court concluded that the administration’s unilateral actions without approval by Congress were unlawful.—
Adam S. Minsky,
Forbes.com,
23 May 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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Enhances visibility and control of network traffic and user activities and detects and blocks malicious activities.—
Mickey Singh,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
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The malicious URLs outputted in the response are in clickable form, meaning all a user has to do is click one to be taken to a malicious site.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
23 May 2025
Noun
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As to the media statements, Cook could not offer adequate proof of one element ― malice ― and so could not make out a prima facie case for defamation as to the media statements.—
Jay Adkisson,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
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The actress, however, bore no malice, moving to Europe until her death from a brain tumor in 2011, aged 58.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
14 May 2025
Noun
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That's why the spectacular cruelty with which the cuts were carried out tanked Musk's personal brand and triggered Trump's inexorable decline in approval.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
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Currently there are no comprehensive animal cruelty laws in China, which experts say has created a culture of impunity among cat torturers.—
Rebecca Wright,
CNN Money,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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The department conducts an annual review of each state, and a more intensive one that’s supposed to be completed roughly every five years.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
13 May 2025
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Ryan Murphy has found his Kennedys after an intensive casting search for the first installment of his new FX anthology series, American Love Story.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
13 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vicious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vicious. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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