Skip to content

vicious

/ˈvɪʃəs/adjective2 syllables

Vicious means: (of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering.

Synonyms for vicious18

adjective, as in (of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering

barbarous, brutal, cruel, fell, roughshod, savage, inhumane

adjective, as in bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure

condemnable, criminal, deplorable, reprehensible, wrong

adjective, as in marked by deep ill will; deliberately harmful

poisonous, venomous, malicious

adjective, as in having the nature of vice

also used for vicious

scathy

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does vicious mean?4

adjective

1

(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering“a barbarous crime”

2

bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure“a criminal waste of talent”

3

marked by deep ill will; deliberately harmful“poisonous hate”

4

having the nature of vice

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with vicious?8

three syllables

delicioussuspiciousambitiousmaliciousfictitiousnutritiousauspicious

four syllables

superstitious
Show 40 near rhymes

Vicious in a sentence

  • To supress the rebellion, the government sent in vicious swarms of bees.DylanTonic
  • The answer leads us to a vicious circle.AlanF_US
  • The rubber band broke with a vicious snap.unknown
  • Any virtuous idea can be vicious in itself.unknown
  • It is difficult to break the vicious circle of wages and prices.unknown
  • He gave the barking dog a vicious kick.CM
  • This situation seems to be a vicious circle.AlanF_US
  • Ziri ran immediately away from the vicious creature.Amastan

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of vicious

as a adjective

comparative
viciouser
superlative
viciousest