VICIOUS

[adjective] - having or showing an intention or desire to hurt very badlya vicious criminala vicious thuga vicious dogMany people were injured in the vicious fighting that broke out between the demonstrators and the police.The police said that this was one of the most vicious attacks they'd ever seen.Small children can be very vicious.I thought that what she said was unnecessarily vicious.He gave her a vicious look.An object which is vicious is one which can be used to cause great pain or harm.The museum has a large collection of vicious medieval torture instruments.I've got a vicious (= extremely painful) headache.Make sure you wrap up warmly - there's a vicious (= extremely strong) wind out there.A vicious circle is a difficult situation in which something that happens causes something else unpleasant to happen.The long-term unemployed are trapped in a vicious circle - the longer somebody has been out of work, the harder it is to get a job.Many people get caught in a vicious circle of dieting and weight gain.