Meanings
vicious1
comparative more vicious · comparative viciouser · superlative most vicious · superlative viciousest · alternative vitious
- Violent, destructive and cruel.
- 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 - archaicPertaining 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's2 more examples
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.195Admiral 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
Vicious2
- A surname.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjective(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
adjectivebringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
vicious · adjective
- Latinvitiōsus
- Anglo-Normanvicious
- Middle Englishvicious
- Englishvicious
PIE word *dwóh₁ Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *(d)wi-tyo-? ▲ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Indo-European *wí? Latin vitium Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h₃édosder.? Proto-Italic *-ŏ̄dsos? Old Latin -ōssus Latin -ōsus Latin vitiōsus Anglo-Norman viciousbor. Middle English vicious English vicious From Middle English vicious, from Anglo-Norman vicious, (modern French vicieux), from Latin vitiōsus, from vitium (“fault, vice”). Equivalent to vice + -ous.
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian зъл, злобен
- зъл (zăl)violent, destructive
- злобен (zloben)violent, destructive
- порочен (poročen)pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
Chinese Mandarin 暴虐的, 殘暴的 /残暴的
- 暴虐的 (bàonüè de)violent, destructive
- 殘暴的 /残暴的 (cánbào de)violent, destructive
- 凶悍的 (xiōnghàn de)savage, aggressive
- 凶暴的 (xiōngbào de)savage, aggressive
- 不道德的 (bùdàodé de)pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
- 墮落的 /堕落的 (duòluò de)pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
- 邪惡的 /邪恶的 (xié'è de)pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
Czech neřestný
- neřestnýpertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
Esperanto malvirta
- malvirtapertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
Finnish raju, tuhoisa
- rajuviolent, destructive
- tuhoisaviolent, destructive
- väkivaltainenviolent, destructive
- raakasavage, aggressive
- julmasavage, aggressive
- ärhäkkäsavage, aggressive
- aggressiivinensavage, aggressive
- paheellinenpertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
French violent (e), destructif
- violent (e)violent, destructive
- destructifviolent, destructive
- destructiveviolent, destructive
- vicieuxpertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
German gewalttätig, destruktiv
- gewalttätigviolent, destructive
- destruktivviolent, destructive
- grausamsavage, aggressive
- aggressivsavage, aggressive
- bösepertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
- boshaftpertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
- übelpertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
- unmoralischpertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
Hungarian rosszindulatú, rossz
- rosszindulatúviolent, destructive
- rosszviolent, destructive
- gonoszviolent, destructive
- vadsavage, aggressive
- dühödtsavage, aggressive
- ádázsavage, aggressive
- erkölcstelenpertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
Irish ainbhéasach, coirpe
- ainbhéasachpertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
- coirpepertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
- drochmhúintepertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
- duáilceachpertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
- mínáireachpertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
- oilbhéasachpertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
- olcpertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
Italian violento, aggressivo
- violentoviolent, destructive
- aggressivosavage, aggressive
Japanese 狂暴, 危険
- 狂暴 (kyōbō)violent, destructive
- 危険 (kiken)violent, destructive
- 狂暴 (kyōbō)savage, aggressive
- 危険 (kiken)savage, aggressive
- 悪徳 (akutoku)pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
- 堕落した (daraku shita)pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
Latin vitiosus
- vitiosuspertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
Polish bezwzględny, zacietrzewiony
- bezwzględnyviolent, destructive
- zacietrzewionyviolent, destructive
- narowistysavage, aggressive
Portuguese atroz, brutal
- atrozviolent, destructive
- brutalviolent, destructive
- cruelviolent, destructive
- desapiedadoviolent, destructive
- destrutivoviolent, destructive
- sanguinolentoviolent, destructive
- violentoviolent, destructive
- agressivosavage, aggressive
- selvagemsavage, aggressive
Russian злой, зло́бный
- злой (zloj)violent, destructive
- зло́бный (zlóbnyj)violent, destructive
- я́ростный (járostnyj)violent, destructive
- свире́пый (svirépyj)violent, destructive
- поро́чный (poróčnyj)pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
Spanish vicioso
- viciosopertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
Swedish illvillig, elak
- illvilligpertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
- elakpertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
- ondpertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
- omoraliskpertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
Turkish agresif, saldırgan
- agresifviolent, destructive
- saldırganviolent, destructive
- agresifsavage, aggressive
- ahlaksızpertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
- kötüpertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
- muzırpertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
Ukrainian злий
- злий (zlyj)violent, destructive
Welsh gwydus
- gwyduspertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with vicious
Cite this entry
vicious. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vicious
“vicious.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vicious. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vicious,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vicious.
Source: vicious on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.