vicious
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vicious¹
- /ˈvɪʃəs/
Rhymes with -ɪʃəs
Where it comes from
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.
adjective more vicious · viciouser · most vicious · viciousest · 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.
- Pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity. We may so seize on vertue, that if we embrace it with an over-greedy and violent desire, it may become vicious.
Similar: scathy
Vicious²
Where it comes from
Originally a nickname for a vicious person.
proper noun
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: brutal, barbarous, wicked, depraved, malevolent, malicious, evil, savage, cruel, inhumane, fell, roughshod, venomous, poisonous, brutish, harsh
adjective
Similar: scathy
Translations
Every language
adj violent, destructive
| 日本語 | 狂暴 kyōbō, 危険 kiken |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 暴虐的 bàonüè de, 殘暴的 /残暴的 cánbào de |
| Português | atroz, brutal, cruel, desapiedado, destrutivo, sanguinolento |
| Français | violent (e), destructif, destructive |
| Deutsch | gewalttätig, destruktiv |
| Italiano | violento |
| Русский | злой zloj, зло́бный zlóbnyj, я́ростный járostnyj, свире́пый svirépyj |
Talk about this word "vicious." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/vicious. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. vicious. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/vicious "vicious." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/vicious.Cite this
@misc{vicious_2026,
title = {vicious},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/vicious},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
