VILE Synonyms: 248 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'vile' contrast with its synonyms?

The words base and low are common synonyms of vile . While all three words mean "deserving of contempt because of the absence of higher values," vile , the strongest of these words, tends to suggest disgusting depravity or filth. // a vile remark

Q: When can 'base' be used instead of 'vile'?

The words base and vile are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, base stresses the ignoble and may suggest cruelty, treachery, greed, or grossness. // base motives

Q: When is 'low' a more appropriate choice than 'vile'?

The meanings of low and vile largely overlap; however, low may connote crafty cunning, vulgarity, or immorality and regularly implies an outraging of one's sense of decency or propriety. // refused to listen to such low talk

vile

adjective

ˈvī(-ə)l

Definition of vile

as in evil

not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable a vile plot to murder their political enemies

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in nasty

not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency a vile trick to play on someone

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in ugly

unpleasant to look at an outfit with a truly vile combination of colors

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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective vile contrast with its synonyms?

The words base and low are common synonyms of vile. While all three words mean "deserving of contempt because of the absence of higher values," vile, the strongest of these words, tends to suggest disgusting depravity or filth.

a vile remark

When can base be used instead of vile?

The words base and vile are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, base stresses the ignoble and may suggest cruelty, treachery, greed, or grossness.

base motives

When is low a more appropriate choice than vile?

The meanings of low and vile largely overlap; however, low may connote crafty cunning, vulgarity, or immorality and regularly implies an outraging of one's sense of decency or propriety.

refused to listen to such low talk

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 vile The Internet is full of useless slop—uncurated, jarring, and often vile. — Air Mail, 1 Aug. 2026 But no amount of handouts, Hefty bags and Windex can pretty up the scene right now around Lineage, as my colleague Salvador Hernandez described this week in vivid, vile detail. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026 In mid-July, Chelsea Gray of the Las Vegas Aces, who is almost as superb a player as Clark, received a vile message after her team lost to the Fever. — Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 25 July 2026 Here, though, the entire enterprise is vile, and futile, and irredeemable, made worse by the self-delusion of the people who pursue it. — Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 21 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for vile

Recent Examples of Synonyms for vile

Adjective

Margaret’s belief that Carrie is inherently evil because her conception wasn’t too far from rape is gone, along with Carrie’s awkwardness and chubbiness (and King’s suggestion that even fat girls can be desirable).

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026
That isn’t to say that Mark Zuckerberg is less evil than Sam Altman, only that these films — one diagnostic, the other biblical — adopt categorically different perspectives on their subjects, neither one of whom can leave their humanity behind.

— David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of evil

Adjective

The New York Yankees were still reeling from a nasty gut punch — a 1-0 loss to the rival Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of the best-of-five American League Division Series at Tropicana Field on Saturday night.

— Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Frank Senior was a barber who dreamed of being a singer, a nasty cur who beat his two sons and verbally whittled them down to a nub.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of nasty

Adjective

That's on the heels of a 41-7 blowout at Northwestern that was ugly enough for Deion Sanders to dismiss a handful of players for conduct detrimental to the team days later.

— Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
In a world where (good, bad and ugly) answers and options are available, an employer needs a workforce that understands the business objectives and can weed through the noise to identify and execute the best solution.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of ugly

Adjective

At first the owner stared at him blankly, then flashed a look of distaste, as if a dirty rodent had brushed his foot.

— Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Stephens and several teammates then appeared to taunt the Oregon players and celebrate the dirty play rather than show concern for a fellow college athlete who was lying motionless on the field.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of dirty

Adjective

Another reason to feel supreme confidence in this team’s juggernaut potential is that Chicago’s defense appears to be just as hideous as the fantasy community had hoped.

— Andy Behrens, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Three seconds later, I was surrounded by hideous monsters who were probably nice kids before the local NBC news devoted the feature story on their prime-time show Weekend to an in-depth study of English punk.

— Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of hideous

Adjective

In a blow to the investment migration industry, the European Union's top court ruled Malta's golden passport program unlawful in April 2025, declaring that EU citizenship could not be sold.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
In a blow to the investment migration industry, the European Union’s top court ruled Malta’s golden passport program unlawful in April 2025, declaring that EU citizenship could not be sold.

— Isabel Debre, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of unlawful

Adjective

The policy of sending them to a third country has been condemned as harsh and cruel.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Eight men were killed via gassing until an Alabama district judge ruled the execution method unconstitutionally cruel, in June; the Supreme Court has maintained the block.

— Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of cruel

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viharas

vile

vilely

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“Vile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vile. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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