1
as in evil
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable
a vile plot to murder their political enemies
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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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3
as in ugly
unpleasant to look at
an outfit with a truly vile combination of colors
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as in badness
the state or quality of being utterly evil
no one can question the sheer vileness of this act of terrorism
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vile
Wendy Murphy, Boston Herald, 27 Mar. 2025
Twain’s early writing and private letters and diaries contain vile language and sentiments.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 9 May 2025
The Imperial City Sewers you’re meant to traverse while learning the basics of the game look hideous and vile.
—Jamal Michel, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
While he’s gone, Louise really does give it the ol’ college try with Dane, who hurls threats, vile insults, and more threats in her direction.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vile
Adjective
What Toner is alleged to have done was deliberate and vile, and because young Asian females were targeted, some are even calling it a hate crime.
—Wendy Murphy, Boston Herald, 27 Mar. 2025
Twain’s early writing and private letters and diaries contain vile language and sentiments.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 9 May 2025
The Imperial City Sewers you’re meant to traverse while learning the basics of the game look hideous and vile.
—Jamal Michel, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
While he’s gone, Louise really does give it the ol’ college try with Dane, who hurls threats, vile insults, and more threats in her direction.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vile
Adjective
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Unfortunately, those lofty first-act ambitions give way to something much more formulaic, as Buzz joins forces with the usual ragtag bunch of misfits to battle the evil Emperor Zurg.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
20 June 2025
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In Twin Peaks, Deputy Chief Hawk and Sheriff Frank Truman—filling in for ailing brother Frank—work on following a lead phoned in by an ailing Log Lady, while Richard Horne, son of Audrey Horne and Cooper’s evil double, spiraling into depravity and addiction, kills a child in a hit-and-run.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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And some erratic vibrations were detected at points last week as the stark outperformance of year-to-date laggards over the top 2025 performers prompted some comparisons to the nasty momentum-stock reversal of February and March that upset the market well before the tariff panic.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
14 June 2025
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She quickly gets embroiled in a nasty war of blackmail and stalking, and with the help of an unscrupulous life coach, matters escalate way too far.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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My goodness, these men wanted to win the U.S. Open with every bit of their being, to finally win a major championship and make this ugly, rainy day worth the battles behind them.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
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The beautiful game deserves better than to be played against a backdrop of ugly anti-human rights policies.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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In the age of print, Hamburg was the birthplace of magazine publishing, and Paris the birthplace of the literary review and the gossip rag; but restless, immoral London was where the advice column first transformed people’s private lives into object lessons for ethical behavior.—
Merve Emre,
New Yorker,
16 June 2025
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The film gathers immoral cops, ruthless women and corrupt politicians to complete the world of populist cinema based in hinterlands of India.—
Sweta Kaushal,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2025
Adjective
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Washing Machine Cleaner Your clothes aren’t the only things that get dirty in the laundry room.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
13 June 2025
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The effort is big business with organized, managed, paid people doing the dirty work.—
Carolyn Rosenblatt,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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The hideous brutalist Embarcadero fountain had frozen over; couples skated across it like holiday shoppers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2025
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But Eleanor has backed herself into an awful corner, and in some ways, so too has Johansson’s film, which is stuck trying to impart sage wisdom through the lens of a truly hideous (if well-meaning) lie.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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Nonetheless, this latest ruling may embolden such plaintiffs in California and elsewhere to assert unlawful discrimination claims with greater confidence and, perhaps, greater frequency.—
Dan Eaton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 June 2025
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She was convicted in 1995 on nine charges, including conspiracy to remove body parts and unlawful authorization of the removal of eyes, hearts, lungs and brains from corpses.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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This is cruel, unnecessary, and will further fan the flames of economic chaos for working families across this country.—
Adam S. Minsky,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
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And for every San Antonio, there is a Utah or Washington or Charlotte that can’t believe how cruel the lottery can be.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vile. Accessed 26 Jun. 2025.
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