Dictionary

vicious en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈvɪʃəs/
• (US) audio

Etymology

PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English vicious, from Anglo-Norman vicious, (modern French vicieux), from Latin vitiōsus, from vitium (“fault, vice”). Equivalent to vice + -ous.

Meanings

1. Violent, destructive and cruel.
2. Savage and aggressive.
   • He had always been remarkably immune from such little ailments, and had only once in his life been ill, of a vicious pneumonia long ago at school. He hadn't the faintest idea what to with a cold in the head, he just took quinine and continued to blow his nose. 1922, Michael Arlen, “2/9/1”, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days:
3. (archaic) Pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity.
   • A murrain on you, Reverend Apse/I hope you get caught in a vicious moral lapse. 1930, Ogden Nash, Lines to Be Mumbled at Ovington's:
   • We may so seize on vertue, that if we embrace it with an over-greedy and violent desire, it may become vicious. , Folio Society, 2006, vol.1, p.195
   • Admiral Crawford was a man of vicious conduct, who chose, instead of retaining his niece, to bring his mistress under his own roof 1814, Jane Austen, Mansfield Park:

Forms

Deriveds

viciously · unvicious · vicious cycle · ultravicious · vicious circle · viciousness · vicious intromission

Relateds

vice#Related_terms

Synonyms

scathy

Translations (99)

fi tuhoisa (violent, destructive) · ru зло́бный (violent, destructive) · hu erkölcstelen (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · fi raju (violent, destructive) · pt cruel (violent, destructive) · ja 危険 (savage, aggressive) · fi julma (savage, aggressive) · pt desapiedado (violent, destructive) · sv ond (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · hu ádáz (savage, aggressive) · fr destructive (violent, destructive) · fi väkivaltainen (violent, destructive) · de grausam (savage, aggressive) · de aggressiv (savage, aggressive) · ru поро́чный (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · sv illvillig (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · de übel (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · ga drochmhúinte (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · sv elak (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · fi raaka (savage, aggressive) · de destruktiv (violent, destructive) · bg злобен (violent, destructive) · tr agresif (savage, aggressive) · hu vad (savage, aggressive) · uk злий (violent, destructive) · ka დამანგრეველი (violent, destructive) · ru я́ростный (violent, destructive) · hu rossz (violent, destructive) · fi ärhäkkä (savage, aggressive) · ota خشین (violent, destructive) · ig ajọ (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · ka აგრესიული (violent, destructive) · hu rosszindulatú (violent, destructive) · fr vicieux (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · cmn 不道德的 (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · hy արատավոր (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · ru злой (violent, destructive) · de boshaft (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · fi aggressiivinen (savage, aggressive) · tr agresif (violent, destructive) · ga ainbhéasach (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · cmn 墮落的 /堕落的 (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · bg зъл (violent, destructive) · ga duáilceach (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · ja 悪徳 (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · pt violento (violent, destructive) · ja 堕落した (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · cmn 凶悍的 (savage, aggressive) · ga mínáireach (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · fr destructif (violent, destructive) · cmn 殘暴的 /残暴的 (violent, destructive) · pt sanguinolento (violent, destructive) · pl bezwzględny (violent, destructive) · pt atroz (violent, destructive) · ceb mapintas nga (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · la vitiosus (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · cmn 暴虐的 (violent, destructive) · tr saldırgan (violent, destructive) · ast bravu (savage, aggressive) · bg порочен (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · tr ahlaksız (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · hu dühödt (savage, aggressive) · ka ველური (savage, aggressive) · ka უზნეო (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · ja 狂暴 (savage, aggressive) · cmn 邪惡的 /邪恶的 (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · ga oilbhéasach (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · de gewalttätig (violent, destructive) · ga olc (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · eo malvirta (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · pl zacietrzewiony (violent, destructive) · tr muzır (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · it aggressivo (savage, aggressive) · ka აგრესიული (savage, aggressive) · cmn 凶暴的 (savage, aggressive) · es vicioso (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · got 𐌿𐌽𐌼𐌰𐌽𐌰𐍂𐌹𐌲𐌲𐍅𐍃 (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · ga coirpe (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · ka მანკიერი (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · pt destrutivo (violent, destructive) · pt selvagem (savage, aggressive) · pl narowisty (savage, aggressive) · de böse (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · ja 危険 (violent, destructive) · pt agressivo (savage, aggressive) · it violento (violent, destructive) · ja 狂暴 (violent, destructive) · jv ganas (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · sv omoralisk (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · de unmoralisch (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · fi paheellinen (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · tr kötü (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · cs neřestný (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · pt brutal (violent, destructive) · ru свире́пый (violent, destructive) · cy gwydus (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · fr violent (e) (violent, destructive) · ka ბიწიერი (pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity) · hu gonosz (violent, destructive)