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 imitation Punisher logo on Cole’s bullet was no act of flattery, but the most vile of insults. Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2025 Fans, some of them little kids parroting what their parents were saying, called him vile names. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2025 As previously reported by PEOPLE, alongside receiving vile and sexist messages after her phone number was posted online, the freshman was forced to relocate to emergency housing and switch to online classes to avoid vulgar in-person comments and people taking photographs of her. Latoya Gayle, People.com, 11 Apr. 2025 McCarthy handles these turns well, especially when other cisgender heterosexual boys try to enact the same plan with more vile intentions. Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for vile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vile
Adjective
  • Will the company itself go rogue and opt to use AGI for evil deeds?
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
  • Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way.
    Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 15 May 2025
Adjective
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was brilliant (35 points), and the Thunder defense was nasty.
    Chris Branch, New York Times, 19 May 2025
  • But Laxe’s cadence of death is nasty and arbitrary and delightful.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2025
Adjective
  • The birds' droppings end up on the ground and windows below, creating an ugly scene for staff, branch patrons and passersby walking in the River Market District.
    Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 23 May 2025
  • Compare the first half of Season 15 to Jodie Whittaker’s last outing as the Doctor, and things get uglier.
    Jake Kanter, Deadline, 23 May 2025
Adjective
  • Researchers also noted the chatbot engaging in other potentially disturbing—though not necessarily immoral—behavior.
    Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 24 May 2025
  • Suggesting that being out of work is immoral, as opposed to the conditions that contribute to people’s ability to work and live, might be a more appropriate source of anxiety.
    Lauren Coulman, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
Adjective
  • No filmmaker loves the dirty old town that is New York more than Spike Lee.
    Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 20 May 2025
  • Here are just a few of the ways seasoned travelers use a pillowcase on the go: Laundry bag: Keep sweaty clothes or dirty socks separate from the rest of your stuff—no need for plastic grocery bags or hotel laundry sacks.
    Alesandra Dubin, Southern Living, 20 May 2025
Adjective
  • At dinnertime, the restaurant is busy, but not slammed; the crowd seems to be largely made up of people with beautiful hair and compellingly hideous shoes.
    Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2025
  • Within the span of a few days, an innocuous speck can turn a loaf of bread from prime sandwich material into a hideous mass of blue-green fuzz—an appetite-killing sight if ever there was one.
    Caroline Tien, SELF, 1 May 2025
Adjective
  • The court concluded that the administration’s unilateral actions without approval by Congress were unlawful.
    Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
  • 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
Adjective
  • Scheifele’s emotional and inspirational decision to play mere hours after his father’s unexpected death — to play for his dad, to play because of his dad — ended in cruel fashion, with Scheifele helpless in the penalty box.
    Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 18 May 2025
  • At first the program seems to be benign, but Hayakawa’s film steadily reveals how the policy thrives on the cruel capitalist tenet that people are disposable.
    Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Vile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vile. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

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