1
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

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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 vile, racist, bigoted, and antisemitic dialogue that has been reported is deeply disturbing. Emily Chang, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2025 In the season’s back half, neither its overloading of vile desecrations nor maudlin sentimentality adds anything that Monster hadn’t already established four episodes ago. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2025 Koch’s vile conduct spawns a number of unnecessary fantasy sequences either brought on by the comics or wholly imagined by Ed. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2025 Free speech scholars maintain the most vile and reprehensible speech, including that which celebrates someone's death, is legally protected — not from the consequences meted by private employers, but from government suppression. Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 20 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for vile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vile
Adjective
  • Like terrestrial monsters, evil aliens are often stand-ins for real-life anxieties.
    Alan Bradley, Space.com, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Thia was sent to this dread planet by the Weyland-Yutani corporation, the famously evil entity that haunts most of the Alien movies.
    Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The growth of passive investing, through index funds found in the 401(k) accounts of average Americans, has propped up the stock market while also potentially setting it up for a nasty fall.
    Mark Dent, HubSpot, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Instead of this stuff that's raised overseas that's done in ways that doesn't have any checks, that it's got polluted water, it's being fed really nasty stuff, full of antibiotics, full of chemicals.
    Dan Morrison, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • This was one of the ugliest matches in recent memory; a game that, in isolation, only those fond of trench warfare could love.
    Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Things got a little ugly for Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell this week.
    Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Still, the idea that Americans came together to help freedom seekers in the face of immoral laws offers hope for America’s truest ideals.
    Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025
  • That suits its otherworldly and somewhat formal tone, which takes viewers deep into Japan’s mythical past for a quartet of eerie tales about lonely ghosts and vengeful spirits who bring supernatural justice to selfish and immoral humans.
    Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Bliss is said to have examined Garfield's wounds with unwashed hands and dirty tools, and the president's death further damaged his reputation.
    Allison DeGrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Solar power cuts greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution from dirty generators that can cause health problems.
    Jeff Young, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • When her rival, Poot’s Thea, arrives underdressed, Hedda forces her into a hideous frock with fussy bows and an ungainly skirt.
    Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Here, see the real-life The Twits cast side-by-side with their hilariously hideous animated counterparts.
    Jane LaCroix, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Christina Leona Cowens, 41, was initially arrested last week on suspicion of felony grand theft, along with misdemeanor counts of unlawful disposal of human remains and attempting to conceal a death.
    Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 11 Nov. 2025
  • Several organizations have sued the administration, saying the cancellations were unlawful and that they are owed thousands of dollars in outstanding expenses.
    NPR, NPR, 10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • That is unacceptably cruel, corrupt, and undemocratic.
    Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Instead, she was stripped of her bronze medal after a late score inquiry—a ruling that still feels cruel for an athlete who had delivered the performance of her life.
    Essence, Essence, 6 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Vile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vile. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.

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